Indian multinational company Reliance Industries is considering buying out Revlon Inc in the United States, days after the cosmetics giant filed for bankruptcy.

The report comes as Revlon filed for bankruptcy earlier this week after global supply chain disruptions drove up raw material costs and prompted vendors to demand upfront payments.

In a court filing late Wednesday, the company initiated Chapter 11 proceedings to manage its debt, which it said stood between $1 billion and $10 billion.

Revlon, known for its signature nail polish and lipstick, reported long-term liabilities of $3.3 billion in the first quarter.

"Today's filing will allow Revlon to offer our consumers the iconic products we have delivered for decades while providing a clearer path for our future growth," CEO Debra Perelman said in a statement on Wednesday.

In the United States, Chapter 11, known as reorganization bankruptcy, allows firms to restructure themselves while being protected from creditors and continuing to operate.

The company said it expects to receive $575 million in financing from its lenders if its bankruptcy is approved in court.

Owned by billionaire investor Ronald Perelman and run by his daughter, Debra Perelman, Revlon reported a net loss of $67 million from January to March.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/isolated-subpopulation-of-polar-bears-found-in-southeast-greenland-489104">Can polar bears survive without Arctic ice? Scientists think so. Here's why</a>

The company, which lists Elizabeth Arden, Almay, and Britney Spears Fragrances among its brands and has operations in more than 150 countries, has suffered from the global supply chain crisis and high inflation.

Revlon also has also faced increasingly tough competition, which has hurt revenue in recent years.

Reliance has pushed its way into the fashion and personal care space in recent months as it diversifies away from its mainstay oil business. It has already established a foothold in the telecom and retail sectors.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Indian multinational company Reliance Industries is considering buying out Revlon Inc in the United States, days after the cosmetics giant filed for bankruptcy. The report comes as Revlon filed for bankruptcy earlier this week after global supply chain disruptions drove up raw material costs and prompted vendors to demand upfront payments.

Indian multinational company Reliance Industries is considering buying out Revlon Inc in the United States, days after the cosmetics giant filed for bankruptcy. The report comes as Revlon filed for bankruptcy earlier this week after global supply chain disruptions drove up raw material costs and prompted vendors to demand upfront payments. In a court filing late Wednesday, the company initiated Chapter 11 proceedings to manage its debt, which it said stood between $1 billion and $10 billion. Revlon, known for its signature nail polish and lipstick, reported long-term liabilities of $3.3 billion in the first quarter. "Today's filing will allow Revlon to offer our consumers the iconic products we have delivered for decades while providing a clearer path for our future growth," CEO Debra Perelman said in a statement on Wednesday. In the United States, Chapter 11, known as reorganization bankruptcy, allows firms to restructure themselves while being protected from creditors and continuing to operate. The company said it expects to receive $575 million in financing from its lenders if its bankruptcy is approved in court. Owned by billionaire investor Ronald Perelman and run by his daughter, Debra Perelman, Revlon reported a net loss of $67 million from January to March. Also Read: Can polar bears survive without Arctic ice? Scientists think so. Here's why The company, which lists Elizabeth Arden, Almay, and Britney Spears Fragrances among its brands and has operations in more than 150 countries, has suffered from the global supply chain crisis and high inflation. Revlon also has also faced increasingly tough competition, which has hurt revenue in recent years. Reliance has pushed its way into the fashion and personal care space in recent months as it diversifies away from its mainstay oil business. It has already established a foothold in the telecom and retail sectors. (with inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Reliance Industries plans to buy American bankrupt company Revlon

Willy Joseph Cancel, an American citizen and former Marine, died in Ukraine while fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to his family. It's the first time a US citizen has been killed in Ukraine.

Rebecca Cabrera, Cancel's mother, told CNN The 22-year-old was slain in Ukraine on Monday.

She told the news source that her son was working for a private military contracting company and had arrived in Ukraine in mid-March, according to the source.

Cancel worked as a full-time prison officer in Tennessee before moving to Ukraine. He was born in New York's Orange County.

Cancel is survived by his wife and a 7-month-old baby.

Cancel's mother claims that her son's body has yet to be found.

The State Department said that it was aware of Cancel's death but declined to speak further.

Cancel travelled to Poland on March 12 and entered Ukraine between March 12 and 13, according to Cabrera.

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Willy Joseph Cancel, an American citizen and former Marine, died in Ukraine while fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to his family. It's the first time a US citizen has been killed in Ukraine.

Willy Joseph Cancel, an American citizen and former Marine, died in Ukraine while fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to his family. It's the first time a US citizen has been killed in Ukraine. Rebecca Cabrera, Cancel's mother, told CNN The 22-year-old was slain in Ukraine on Monday. She told the news source that her son was working for a private military contracting company and had arrived in Ukraine in mid-March, according to the source. Cancel worked as a full-time prison officer in Tennessee before moving to Ukraine. He was born in New York's Orange County. Cancel is survived by his wife and a 7-month-old baby. Cancel's mother claims that her son's body has yet to be found. The State Department said that it was aware of Cancel's death but declined to speak further. Cancel travelled to Poland on March 12 and entered Ukraine between March 12 and 13, according to Cabrera. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

22-year-old American killed while fighting in Ukraine

Several Chinese streaming platforms have censored an LGBTQ plotline in the tv show "Friends."

Conversations about Ross'&nbsp;ex-wife, Carol Willick, who is a lesbian, have been deleted, causing widespread anger on social media. The American sitcom enjoys a huge fan following in the country.

The show debuted on Chinese streaming platforms Sohu video and iQiyi in 2012. This was without any censorship. However, it was only available to watch until its streaming agreement ended in 2013.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/friends-reunion-china-censors-bts-lady-gaga-and-justin-biebers-portions-from-the-special-387939">Also read |&nbsp;'Friends' reunion: China censors BTS, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber's portions from the special&nbsp;</a>

After the buzz created by the 2021 special 'Friends: The Reunion,' Chinese streaming platforms purchased the broadcasting rights to the show.&nbsp;

Several streaming platforms including Bilibili, Tencent, Youku, Sohu and iQiyi began streaming the show on February 11.

Earlier, top Chinese streaming platforms censored nearly six minutes of material from 'Friends: The Reunion,' which included footage of Lady Gaga, BTS, Justin Bieber and even a few gay fans of the series speaking about how special the show was.&nbsp;

Not just this but the platforms also omitted a portion where Matt LeBlanc was seen wearing his underwear and references to pee in one of the episodes.&nbsp;

Several Chinese streaming platforms have censored an LGBTQ plotline in the tv show "Friends." Conversations about Ross' ex-wife, Carol Willick, who is a lesbian, have been deleted, causing widespread anger on social media.

Several Chinese streaming platforms have censored an LGBTQ plotline in the tv show "Friends." Conversations about Ross' ex-wife, Carol Willick, who is a lesbian, have been deleted, causing widespread anger on social media. The American sitcom enjoys a huge fan following in the country. The show debuted on Chinese streaming platforms Sohu video and iQiyi in 2012. This was without any censorship. However, it was only available to watch until its streaming agreement ended in 2013. Also read | 'Friends' reunion: China censors BTS, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber's portions from the special After the buzz created by the 2021 special 'Friends: The Reunion,' Chinese streaming platforms purchased the broadcasting rights to the show. Several streaming platforms including Bilibili, Tencent, Youku, Sohu and iQiyi began streaming the show on February 11. Earlier, top Chinese streaming platforms censored nearly six minutes of material from 'Friends: The Reunion,' which included footage of Lady Gaga, BTS, Justin Bieber and even a few gay fans of the series speaking about how special the show was. Not just this but the platforms also omitted a portion where Matt LeBlanc was seen wearing his underwear and references to pee in one of the episodes.

China censors lesbian plotline in American sitcom 'Friends,' causing widespread anger

Three Israeli military commanders have been disciplined after an investigation into the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man who was detained, gagged and handcuffed by Israeli soldiers in a night raid on his village last month.

An autopsy showed that the man, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, died from a stress-induced heart attack brought on by injuries sustained while he was detained for about an hour on Jan. 12 by dozens of Israeli soldiers.

The commander of the Netzah Yehuda, the Jewish ultra-Orthodox battalion which conducted the raid on the village, will be reprimanded and the platoon and company commanders will both be removed from their positions. They will not serve in commanding roles for two years, according to the military.

“The incident showed a clear lapse of moral judgment,” the Israeli military’s chief of general staff said in a statement released late Monday that summed up the conclusions of an investigation by the military’s central command. “The investigation concluded that the incident was a grave and unfortunate event, resulting from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.”

The statement, in which Assad’s full name was rendered incorrectly, said the Israeli military deeply regretted his death, but stopped short of apologizing for it.

Assad’s family and human rights groups said the punishments were too light and fit a pattern of impunity for Israelis who kill Palestinians.

“It’s not enough,” said Mohanad Assad, Assad’s 39-year-old cousin. “They need to be tried in international courts.”

The Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, has long dismissed Israeli military investigations into the killings of Palestinians as whitewashing.

But the Israeli military has called those allegations “ridiculous” and said it has proved repeatedly that its investigations are independent and professional.

One example of an investigation that critics say reflects a pattern of impunity was linked to the 2014 war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, when an airstrike killed four boys playing on a beach, prompting international condemnation. An Israeli military investigation resulted in no criminal charges or disciplinary actions against those involved in airstrikes during that war, including the two that killed the boys.

Assad was driving home around 3 a.m. after a night playing cards and drinking coffee at a relative’s house when he was detained near his home in the village of Jiljilya in the occupied West Bank. Immediately after soldiers left the scene, he was found face down and unresponsive with a blindfold still on, according to witnesses and his doctor, who said he died while in Israeli custody.

Initially, the Israeli military said Assad had been alive when he was released.

The soldiers did not identify signs of distress or see anything of concern regarding Assad’s health before they left, according to the investigation, saying they believed he was sleeping. But the investigation found that the “soldiers failed in their obligations by leaving Assad lying on the floor without the required treatment and without reporting the incident back to their commanders.”

His death brought renewed scrutiny on Israel from its closest ally, the United States, which called for a thorough investigation. Assad was a U.S. citizen with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in the United States. His family and several members of Congress have demanded that the United States conduct its own independent investigation.

In addition to the central command’s investigation, a separate criminal investigation by the Israeli military police is still ongoing.

Assad’s autopsy was conducted by the coroner for the Palestinian Authority, which is also conducting its own investigation into Mr. Assad’s death. The authority administers parts of the West Bank but even in Palestinian villages like Jiljilya, Israeli forces regularly carry out raids and operations aimed at thwarting attacks.

Assad’s life and death mirrored the daily perils faced by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, including the fear of being detained in nighttime raids or arrested at home.

According to the investigation, soldiers were in Jiljilya that morning to thwart terrorist activities and seize weapons and as part of that operation, they stopped Assad’s vehicle. Assad refused to cooperate with their security check.

In response, he was detained with his hands bound and his mouth gagged for a short time, according to the investigation.

Dr. Islam Abu Zaher, who attempted to resuscitate Assad after the Israeli soldiers hurriedly left the village, said his face was blue and had been cut off from oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes.

The central command investigation found that soldiers did not use violence against Assad “apart from when Assad was apprehended after refusing to cooperate.”

These findings contradict a preliminary conclusion from the Palestinian investigation, which determined that he had been “severely beaten” and “subjected to harsh treatment and violence.”

The autopsy found that Assad had bruises on his head as a result of traumatic brain injuries, without concluding what may have caused those injuries. There was also internal bleeding in his eyelids from being blindfolded tightly as well as other bruises on his arms and red welts on his wrists from zip ties.

Another man who was detained by the same soldiers said that as soon as they left, he went to Assad and found him unresponsive. Abu Zaher was immediately called and tried to revive him with CPR and a defibrillator.

Assad had open-heart surgery and several stents implanted about four years ago, according to Abu Zaher. He was also being treated for obstructive pulmonary disease in recent months.

Three Israeli military commanders have been disciplined after an investigation into the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man who was detained, gagged and handcuffed by Israeli soldiers in a night raid on his village last month.

Three Israeli military commanders have been disciplined after an investigation into the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man who was detained, gagged and handcuffed by Israeli soldiers in a night raid on his village last month. An autopsy showed that the man, Omar Abdelmajed Assad, died from a stress-induced heart attack brought on by injuries sustained while he was detained for about an hour on Jan. 12 by dozens of Israeli soldiers. The commander of the Netzah Yehuda, the Jewish ultra-Orthodox battalion which conducted the raid on the village, will be reprimanded and the platoon and company commanders will both be removed from their positions. They will not serve in commanding roles for two years, according to the military. “The incident showed a clear lapse of moral judgment,” the Israeli military’s chief of general staff said in a statement released late Monday that summed up the conclusions of an investigation by the military’s central command. “The investigation concluded that the incident was a grave and unfortunate event, resulting from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.” The statement, in which Assad’s full name was rendered incorrectly, said the Israeli military deeply regretted his death, but stopped short of apologizing for it. Assad’s family and human rights groups said the punishments were too light and fit a pattern of impunity for Israelis who kill Palestinians. “It’s not enough,” said Mohanad Assad, Assad’s 39-year-old cousin. “They need to be tried in international courts.” The Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, has long dismissed Israeli military investigations into the killings of Palestinians as whitewashing. But the Israeli military has called those allegations “ridiculous” and said it has proved repeatedly that its investigations are independent and professional. One example of an investigation that critics say reflects a pattern of impunity was linked to the 2014 war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, when an airstrike killed four boys playing on a beach, prompting international condemnation. An Israeli military investigation resulted in no criminal charges or disciplinary actions against those involved in airstrikes during that war, including the two that killed the boys. Assad was driving home around 3 a.m. after a night playing cards and drinking coffee at a relative’s house when he was detained near his home in the village of Jiljilya in the occupied West Bank. Immediately after soldiers left the scene, he was found face down and unresponsive with a blindfold still on, according to witnesses and his doctor, who said he died while in Israeli custody. Initially, the Israeli military said Assad had been alive when he was released. The soldiers did not identify signs of distress or see anything of concern regarding Assad’s health before they left, according to the investigation, saying they believed he was sleeping. But the investigation found that the “soldiers failed in their obligations by leaving Assad lying on the floor without the required treatment and without reporting the incident back to their commanders.” His death brought renewed scrutiny on Israel from its closest ally, the United States, which called for a thorough investigation. Assad was a U.S. citizen with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in the United States. His family and several members of Congress have demanded that the United States conduct its own independent investigation. In addition to the central command’s investigation, a separate criminal investigation by the Israeli military police is still ongoing. Assad’s autopsy was conducted by the coroner for the Palestinian Authority, which is also conducting its own investigation into Mr. Assad’s death. The authority administers parts of the West Bank but even in Palestinian villages like Jiljilya, Israeli forces regularly carry out raids and operations aimed at thwarting attacks. Assad’s life and death mirrored the daily perils faced by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, including the fear of being detained in nighttime raids or arrested at home. According to the investigation, soldiers were in Jiljilya that morning to thwart terrorist activities and seize weapons and as part of that operation, they stopped Assad’s vehicle. Assad refused to cooperate with their security check. In response, he was detained with his hands bound and his mouth gagged for a short time, according to the investigation. Dr. Islam Abu Zaher, who attempted to resuscitate Assad after the Israeli soldiers hurriedly left the village, said his face was blue and had been cut off from oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes. The central command investigation found that soldiers did not use violence against Assad “apart from when Assad was apprehended after refusing to cooperate.” These findings contradict a preliminary conclusion from the Palestinian investigation, which determined that he had been “severely beaten” and “subjected to harsh treatment and violence.” The autopsy found that Assad had bruises on his head as a result of traumatic brain injuries, without concluding what may have caused those injuries. There was also internal bleeding in his eyelids from being blindfolded tightly as well as other bruises on his arms and red welts on his wrists from zip ties. Another man who was detained by the same soldiers said that as soon as they left, he went to Assad and found him unresponsive. Abu Zaher was immediately called and tried to revive him with CPR and a defibrillator. Assad had open-heart surgery and several stents implanted about four years ago, according to Abu Zaher. He was also being treated for obstructive pulmonary disease in recent months.

Israeli commanders disciplined in death of Palestinian-American man

More than 30 years after the body of Scott Johnson, a 27-year-old mathematician from the United States, was found at the bottom of a Sydney cliff, the man accused in the death was convicted Thursday of murder.

A surprising admission from the defendant, Scott White, 50, earlier in the week cleared the way for the judge to convict him in the 1988 case, bringing to an end a decadeslong fight by his brother, Steve Johnson, to find the perpetrators behind his brother’s death.

“It’s over, finally,” said Steve Johnson, an American tech entrepreneur. “This 33-year odyssey has come to a conclusion.”

Scott Johnson, who was gay, was a doctoral student at the Australian National University in Canberra when he was killed Dec. 8, 1988. He had moved to Australia to be with his partner and had applied for permanent residency.

When his body was found in an area frequented by gay men, Australian police initially ruled the death a suicide. His brother was skeptical and he pressed officials to reopen the case. Former Australian officials have said the police at that time were often hostile toward gay men and did not properly investigate their deaths.

Steve Johnson hired an investigative journalist to look into his brother’s case after he became aware of a 2005 inquest into the deaths of three men from the same period under similar circumstances. He successfully petitioned for a second inquest in 2012, which overturned the suicide ruling and recommended police reinvestigate the case.

In 2017, a third inquest concluded that Scott Johnson was the victim of an anti-gay hate crime and fell off the cliff as a result of actual or threatened violence. The next year, the New South Wales police began an investigation, offering a reward of 1 million Australian dollars, currently the equivalent of about $730,000, for new information.

In May 2020, police charged White with Scott Johnson’s murder. White originally pleaded not guilty, but on Monday, Steve Johnson said, White stood up at a pretrial hearing and said “firmly and emphatically, ‘Guilty, I’m guilty, guilty.’”

“No one was prepared for that, including me,” said Steve Johnson, who had traveled to Sydney from the United States to attend the hearing.

The hearing was adjourned. In the following days, White’s attorneys tried to have his admission thrown out, arguing that their client suffered stress and anxiety and had an intellectual disability, local news media reported. But the court heard that White had noted his intent to change his plea on several earlier occasions, and the judge contended that he spoke in a determined and firm manner.

On Thursday, he was convicted of the murder, and the sentencing hearing is scheduled for May.

At the time of his arrest, local media reported that White was from Sydney and lived alone with his dog in a small apartment. Police had been expected to say in court that he had met Scott Johnson at a hotel before they headed to the cliff together, local media reported.

White’s attorneys have indicated they will appeal, according to local news media. But in Steve Johnson’s mind, the case is over. “I’m grateful to Scott White for sparing us the trial, sparing us the months, sparing us more uncertainty,” he said.

A member of White’s defense team did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Steve Johnson said that one of the most touching moments during the hearing was to hear the judge refer to his brother as “Dr. Johnson.”

His brother had nearly completed his doctorate, but his degree was granted posthumously, so “to hear the judge pay him the honor of calling him doctor, it was wonderful,” he said.

Dozens of cases similar to Scott Johnson’s are still under review. Since 2013, police have been looking into the deaths of 88 men between 1976 and 2000 to determine if they should be classified as anti-gay hate crimes. About 30 remain unsolved.

In November, the New South Wales government announced it would conduct an inquiry into gay and transgender hate crimes between 1970 and 2010.

Steve Johnson hoped his brother’s case could provide guidance for the inquiry.

“They now have a model to follow. They now have some hope that you can solve a 30-year-old case,” he said. “I feel like my brother would be really proud.”

More than 30 years after the body of Scott Johnson, a 27-year-old mathematician from the United States, was found at the bottom of a Sydney cliff, the man accused in the death was convicted Thursday of murder.

More than 30 years after the body of Scott Johnson, a 27-year-old mathematician from the United States, was found at the bottom of a Sydney cliff, the man accused in the death was convicted Thursday of murder. A surprising admission from the defendant, Scott White, 50, earlier in the week cleared the way for the judge to convict him in the 1988 case, bringing to an end a decadeslong fight by his brother, Steve Johnson, to find the perpetrators behind his brother’s death. “It’s over, finally,” said Steve Johnson, an American tech entrepreneur. “This 33-year odyssey has come to a conclusion.” Scott Johnson, who was gay, was a doctoral student at the Australian National University in Canberra when he was killed Dec. 8, 1988. He had moved to Australia to be with his partner and had applied for permanent residency. When his body was found in an area frequented by gay men, Australian police initially ruled the death a suicide. His brother was skeptical and he pressed officials to reopen the case. Former Australian officials have said the police at that time were often hostile toward gay men and did not properly investigate their deaths. Steve Johnson hired an investigative journalist to look into his brother’s case after he became aware of a 2005 inquest into the deaths of three men from the same period under similar circumstances. He successfully petitioned for a second inquest in 2012, which overturned the suicide ruling and recommended police reinvestigate the case. In 2017, a third inquest concluded that Scott Johnson was the victim of an anti-gay hate crime and fell off the cliff as a result of actual or threatened violence. The next year, the New South Wales police began an investigation, offering a reward of 1 million Australian dollars, currently the equivalent of about $730,000, for new information. In May 2020, police charged White with Scott Johnson’s murder. White originally pleaded not guilty, but on Monday, Steve Johnson said, White stood up at a pretrial hearing and said “firmly and emphatically, ‘Guilty, I’m guilty, guilty.’” “No one was prepared for that, including me,” said Steve Johnson, who had traveled to Sydney from the United States to attend the hearing. The hearing was adjourned. In the following days, White’s attorneys tried to have his admission thrown out, arguing that their client suffered stress and anxiety and had an intellectual disability, local news media reported. But the court heard that White had noted his intent to change his plea on several earlier occasions, and the judge contended that he spoke in a determined and firm manner. On Thursday, he was convicted of the murder, and the sentencing hearing is scheduled for May. At the time of his arrest, local media reported that White was from Sydney and lived alone with his dog in a small apartment. Police had been expected to say in court that he had met Scott Johnson at a hotel before they headed to the cliff together, local media reported. White’s attorneys have indicated they will appeal, according to local news media. But in Steve Johnson’s mind, the case is over. “I’m grateful to Scott White for sparing us the trial, sparing us the months, sparing us more uncertainty,” he said. A member of White’s defense team did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Steve Johnson said that one of the most touching moments during the hearing was to hear the judge refer to his brother as “Dr. Johnson.” His brother had nearly completed his doctorate, but his degree was granted posthumously, so “to hear the judge pay him the honor of calling him doctor, it was wonderful,” he said. Dozens of cases similar to Scott Johnson’s are still under review. Since 2013, police have been looking into the deaths of 88 men between 1976 and 2000 to determine if they should be classified as anti-gay hate crimes. About 30 remain unsolved. In November, the New South Wales government announced it would conduct an inquiry into gay and transgender hate crimes between 1970 and 2010. Steve Johnson hoped his brother’s case could provide guidance for the inquiry. “They now have a model to follow. They now have some hope that you can solve a 30-year-old case,” he said. “I feel like my brother would be really proud.”

Australian man convicted of killing gay American in 1980s

A new Axios-Momentive poll has revealed that over 40 per cent of Americans do not believe that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. Also, nearly 57 per cent of people think that events similar to the January 6 Capitol riots are likely to happen again in the coming years.&nbsp;

This concern is alarmingly high among Democrats as 70 per cent of them&nbsp;think that something like January 6 will happen again. While only 47 per cent of Republicans think the same.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-year-of-us-capitol-riots-key-takeaways-and-prominent-faces-of-the-day-that-divided-america-442672">Also read |&nbsp;One year of US Capitol Riots: Key takeaways and prominent faces of the day that divided America</a>

About 37 per cent of people who were surveyed said that they had lost faith in American democracy. Out of this, 48 per cent were Republicans and 28 per cent were Democrats. On the other hand, 10 per cent said they had never had faith in the system. 49 per cent said that they did have faith.

Laura Wronski, senior manager for research science at Momentive, while speaking to Axios said, "It’s dispiriting to see that this shocking thing we all witnessed last year hasn’t changed people’s perceptions."

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Capitol riots: One year on, America more polarised than ever

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-capitol-riots-one-year-on-america-more-polarised-than-ever-442764/embed" width="560"></iframe>

The poll was released on the eve of the first anniversary of the US Capitol attack. This is when the US lawmakers were moving towards certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the election and pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol to disrupt the legitimate transfer. The horrifying scene forced Congress to put&nbsp;a sudden pause on the ceremonial event confirming Biden's sweeping win in the elections. In the aftermath, the doors of the Senate were locked and a citywide curfew was announced.&nbsp;

The polls were conducted from January 1 to 5 this year. Also, they surveyed nearly 2,700 adults.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new Axios-Momentive poll has revealed that over 40 per cent of Americans do not believe that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. Also, nearly 57 per cent of people think that events similar to the January 6 Capitol riots are likely to happen again in the coming years.

A new Axios-Momentive poll has revealed that over 40 per cent of Americans do not believe that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. Also, nearly 57 per cent of people think that events similar to the January 6 Capitol riots are likely to happen again in the coming years. This concern is alarmingly high among Democrats as 70 per cent of them think that something like January 6 will happen again. While only 47 per cent of Republicans think the same. Also read | One year of US Capitol Riots: Key takeaways and prominent faces of the day that divided America About 37 per cent of people who were surveyed said that they had lost faith in American democracy. Out of this, 48 per cent were Republicans and 28 per cent were Democrats. On the other hand, 10 per cent said they had never had faith in the system. 49 per cent said that they did have faith. Laura Wronski, senior manager for research science at Momentive, while speaking to Axios said, "It’s dispiriting to see that this shocking thing we all witnessed last year hasn’t changed people’s perceptions." Watch | Gravitas: Capitol riots: One year on, America more polarised than ever The poll was released on the eve of the first anniversary of the US Capitol attack. This is when the US lawmakers were moving towards certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the election and pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol to disrupt the legitimate transfer. The horrifying scene forced Congress to put a sudden pause on the ceremonial event confirming Biden's sweeping win in the elections. In the aftermath, the doors of the Senate were locked and a citywide curfew was announced. The polls were conducted from January 1 to 5 this year. Also, they surveyed nearly 2,700 adults. (With inputs from agencies)

A year after Capitol riots, 57% Americans think similar events are likely to happen

More than 200 million Americans, over 60% of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The United States crossed that milestone as the threat of the omicron variant spurred a flurry of inoculations in recent days, although the daily rate remains far below its peak in April. And the U.S. lags significantly behind several other countries, which have inoculated over 80% of their populations.

Providers are administering about 1.78 million doses per day on average, including first, second and additional doses, about a 47% decrease from the peak of 3.38 million reported April 13, according to federal data.

The United States remains far behind not only developed countries like Singapore and Portugal, which will soon have vaccinated 90% of their populations, but developing nations like Cambodia (over 80%), according to Our World in Data.

Even before the arrival of omicron, cases and hospitalisations were on the rise in the U.S. as the weather grew colder in much of the country and the highly contagious delta variant remained a threat. Daily cases are averaging over 120,000, and more than 55,000 patients are hospitalised nationwide, far fewer than in September but an increase of more than 15% over the past two weeks. Hospitals have been overstretched from upstate New York to New Mexico.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bidens-democracy-summit-100-nations-invited-china-russia-see-red-after-being-left-out-435351">Also read |&nbsp;Biden's Democracy Summit: 100+ nations invited, China &amp; Russia see red after being left out</a>

The US has been ahead of other countries in booster shots, which it authorised in September and October for many Americans. Then on Oct. 29, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

The daily rate of Americans getting their shots had been steadily climbing since the government widened eligibility and has soared since Thanksgiving, when the omicron variant was discovered. With dozens of mutations never before seen, omicron was named a variant of concern by the World Health Organization.

Scientists have feared that the fast-spreading variant could evade the protection of vaccines. But on Wednesday, Pfizer and BioNTech said laboratory tests suggested that three doses of their coronavirus vaccine offered significant protection against omicron. The lab experiments don’t indicate with any certainty how the vaccines will perform in the real world, and scientists say it could take a month or more to understand the new variant’s threat.

Many questions remain about omicron.

There are early signs that it may cause only mild illness, although that observation was based mainly on cases in South Africa among young people, who are generally less likely to become severely ill from COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while the data is limited, “the disease is mild” in almost all of the U.S. cases recorded so far. Reported symptoms have mainly been cough, congestion and fatigue, and some cases have grown more severe over time, she said.

Scientists are also waiting to see whether cases lead to more hospitalisations and deaths; both lag surges in infections by days or weeks.

Broad mandates by President Joe Biden that had helped boost vaccination rates have been put on hold by courts.

Americans who have resisted getting vaccinated can be grouped into two categories, as a New York Times report showed in July.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-threatens-russia-with-severe-sanctions-if-ukraine-is-attacked-435291">Also read |&nbsp;Biden threatens Russia with 'severe sanctions' if Ukraine is attacked; US troops not to be involved</a>

In one are those who are adamant in their refusal; they include a mix of people but tend to be disproportionately white, rural, evangelical Christian and politically conservative, surveys show.

In the other are those who are persuadable but say they have been putting off vaccination or want to wait and see before making a decision; they are a broad range of people but tend to be a more diverse and urban group, including many younger people, Black and Latino Americans, and Democrats.

It’s this second group that health officials have made progress in inoculating, but surveys suggest they account for less than half of all unvaccinated adults in the United States.

More than 200 million Americans, over 60% of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The United States crossed that milestone as the threat of the omicron variant spurred a flurry of inoculations in recent days, although the daily rate remains far below its peak in April.

More than 200 million Americans, over 60% of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The United States crossed that milestone as the threat of the omicron variant spurred a flurry of inoculations in recent days, although the daily rate remains far below its peak in April. And the U.S. lags significantly behind several other countries, which have inoculated over 80% of their populations. Providers are administering about 1.78 million doses per day on average, including first, second and additional doses, about a 47% decrease from the peak of 3.38 million reported April 13, according to federal data. The United States remains far behind not only developed countries like Singapore and Portugal, which will soon have vaccinated 90% of their populations, but developing nations like Cambodia (over 80%), according to Our World in Data. Even before the arrival of omicron, cases and hospitalisations were on the rise in the U.S. as the weather grew colder in much of the country and the highly contagious delta variant remained a threat. Daily cases are averaging over 120,000, and more than 55,000 patients are hospitalised nationwide, far fewer than in September but an increase of more than 15% over the past two weeks. Hospitals have been overstretched from upstate New York to New Mexico. Also read | Biden's Democracy Summit: 100+ nations invited, China & Russia see red after being left out The US has been ahead of other countries in booster shots, which it authorised in September and October for many Americans. Then on Oct. 29, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The daily rate of Americans getting their shots had been steadily climbing since the government widened eligibility and has soared since Thanksgiving, when the omicron variant was discovered. With dozens of mutations never before seen, omicron was named a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. Scientists have feared that the fast-spreading variant could evade the protection of vaccines. But on Wednesday, Pfizer and BioNTech said laboratory tests suggested that three doses of their coronavirus vaccine offered significant protection against omicron. The lab experiments don’t indicate with any certainty how the vaccines will perform in the real world, and scientists say it could take a month or more to understand the new variant’s threat. Many questions remain about omicron. There are early signs that it may cause only mild illness, although that observation was based mainly on cases in South Africa among young people, who are generally less likely to become severely ill from COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while the data is limited, “the disease is mild” in almost all of the U.S. cases recorded so far. Reported symptoms have mainly been cough, congestion and fatigue, and some cases have grown more severe over time, she said. Scientists are also waiting to see whether cases lead to more hospitalisations and deaths; both lag surges in infections by days or weeks. Broad mandates by President Joe Biden that had helped boost vaccination rates have been put on hold by courts. Americans who have resisted getting vaccinated can be grouped into two categories, as a New York Times report showed in July. Also read | Biden threatens Russia with 'severe sanctions' if Ukraine is attacked; US troops not to be involved In one are those who are adamant in their refusal; they include a mix of people but tend to be disproportionately white, rural, evangelical Christian and politically conservative, surveys show. In the other are those who are persuadable but say they have been putting off vaccination or want to wait and see before making a decision; they are a broad range of people but tend to be a more diverse and urban group, including many younger people, Black and Latino Americans, and Democrats. It’s this second group that health officials have made progress in inoculating, but surveys suggest they account for less than half of all unvaccinated adults in the United States.

Over 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated

In a rare incident, a 42-year-old Armenian multimedia artist, Narine Arakelian, is selling one of her reproductive eggs through an NFT. Not only this but she also expects the buyer to conceive a child with it. Her painting named Love, Hope, Live will also be auctioned off as a physical creation.&nbsp;

Whoever purchases the NFT will find an embedded&nbsp;piece of code that will link it to a contract, promising the buyer one of the artists' eggs.&nbsp;

The price of the NFT has not been revealed yet as the Armenian artist aims to sell it to the highest bidder.

While speaking to Page Six, the artist said, "It’s a beautiful act of creativity to give the gift of art and life. My artworks are all my children and the fact this one will actually produce a child is wonderful."

Arakelian further said that the will mean a lot to the buyer because it will bring them their child.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/12-year-old-boy-creates-digital-whale-art-makes-ps290000-by-selling-earned-non-fungible-tokens-408975">Also read |&nbsp;12-year-old boy creates digital whale art, makes £290,000 by selling earned non-fungible tokens &nbsp;</a>

Explaining the egg transaction, Arakelian told Fortune that the NFT will include a contract that will give the buyer and ownership of the egg. "Then when they want to collect, I will have a procedure and they will be given the egg,” Arakelian told Fortune.&nbsp; 
She further added that the procedure will be “fully supervised by doctors and experts.”

This is not the first time that artwork is being sold on NFT. Earlier in August, a 12-year-old boy earned about £290,000 after creating digital pictures of whales and selling tokens of their ownership.

During the school holidays, the collection of pixelated artworks called Weird Whales of the child, Benyamin Ahmed, had gone viral. &nbsp;

Child’s father Imran, who is a software developer, shared that the artwork is like “digital Pokémon cards”. Imran added, they had been a huge success because the collectors realised their historical significance.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a rare incident, a 42-year-old Armenian multimedia artist, Narine Arakelian, is selling one of her reproductive eggs through an NFT. Not only this but she also expects the buyer to conceive a child with it.

In a rare incident, a 42-year-old Armenian multimedia artist, Narine Arakelian, is selling one of her reproductive eggs through an NFT. Not only this but she also expects the buyer to conceive a child with it. Her painting named Love, Hope, Live will also be auctioned off as a physical creation. Whoever purchases the NFT will find an embedded piece of code that will link it to a contract, promising the buyer one of the artists' eggs. The price of the NFT has not been revealed yet as the Armenian artist aims to sell it to the highest bidder. While speaking to Page Six, the artist said, "It’s a beautiful act of creativity to give the gift of art and life. My artworks are all my children and the fact this one will actually produce a child is wonderful." Arakelian further said that the will mean a lot to the buyer because it will bring them their child. Also read | 12-year-old boy creates digital whale art, makes £290,000 by selling earned non-fungible tokens Explaining the egg transaction, Arakelian told Fortune that the NFT will include a contract that will give the buyer and ownership of the egg. "Then when they want to collect, I will have a procedure and they will be given the egg,” Arakelian told Fortune. She further added that the procedure will be “fully supervised by doctors and experts.” This is not the first time that artwork is being sold on NFT. Earlier in August, a 12-year-old boy earned about £290,000 after creating digital pictures of whales and selling tokens of their ownership. During the school holidays, the collection of pixelated artworks called Weird Whales of the child, Benyamin Ahmed, had gone viral. Child’s father Imran, who is a software developer, shared that the artwork is like “digital Pokémon cards”. Imran added, they had been a huge success because the collectors realised their historical significance. (With inputs from agencies)

This Armenian artist is auctioning one of her reproductive eggs through NFT

She is American. She is 21 and currently in jail. This- is her mugshot. What did Poolaw do? She lost her unborn child. Poolaw had a miscarriage. She was 15 to 17 weeks pregnant. For your information- manslaughter means murder. The United States has convicted a mother of murdering her unborn child. Apparently the united states thinks mothers are capable of such cruelty. It has already put Poolaw behind bars and now- the superpower is coming after more mothers.

United States convicts mother of murdering her unborn child

A Haitian man identifying himself as the leader of the gang that kidnapped a group of American and Canadian missionaries said in a video posted on YouTube on Thursday that he was willing to kill "these Americans" if he does not get what he needs.

The speaker in the video, dressed in a purple suit, is recognizable as the man known in Haiti by the alias Lamo Sanjou, the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang that authorities say is behind the abduction of the missionaries at the weekend.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/haiti-gang-demands-17-million-ransom-for-kidnapped-missionaries-and-children-422157">&nbsp;Haiti gang demands $17 million ransom for kidnapped missionaries and children</a>

The sixteen Americans and one Canadian - including five children - were on a trip organized by the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. The missionaries were not present in the video.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the veracity of the video or when it was made.

"If I don't find what I need, these Americans, I'd rather kill them all, and I'll unload a big gun in the head of each of them," said the man in the video.

Haitian Justice Minister Liszt Quitel told Reuters this week that the kidnappers were demanding $1 million per person for the release of the missionaries.

The missionaries' seizure has focused global attention on Haiti's dire kidnapping problem, which has worsened amid economic and political crises in the Caribbean nation that have led to spiraling violence.

The video includes footage of what appear to be five dead men laying in coffins, who the man described as "fallen soldiers," blaming their deaths on police chief Leon Charles.

"Leon Charles made me cry, gentlemen. When it was my turn, I cried my eyes out, and when I make you cry, I will make you cry tears of blood," he said.

Haitian media outlet Le Nouvelliste on Thursday said that Charles had presented his resignation. A Haitian police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The White House said on Thursday it would do all it could to help the missionaries. "We will do everything that we can to help resolve the situation," said White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

A senior State Department official told reporters that the video was legitimate.

"If you are a kidnapper, your job is to say those kind of things," the official said. "We need to work with our Haitian law enforcement partners and the families and the institutions to try and move this process forward to a safe resolution."

Kidnapping Epidemic

Christian Aid Ministries said it was aware of the video but would not comment until the hostage negotiators determined that any such remarks would not jeopardize the well-being of the group.

The 400 Mawozo began as small-time local thieves and rose to become one of Haiti's most feared gangs, controlling a swathe of countryside east of the capital Port-au-Prince, according to security experts.

Haitian gangs have steadily expanded their territory in recent years, and have grown more brazen since the July assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Their leaders - mostly notably Jimmy Cherizier, leader of a gang coalition called G9 - have taken on increasingly public roles, offering extensive interviews broadcast online and at times publicly threatening politicians.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/15-us-missionaries-and-family-kidnapped-in-haiti-security-source-421425">15 US missionaries and family kidnapped in Haiti: security source</a>

When Prime Minister Ariel Henry attempted on Sunday to lead a ceremony commemorating the death of one of Haiti's founding-fathers, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, gangs fired shots until his delegation withdrew to hold the ceremony elsewhere.

Cherizier, who goes by the alias 'Barbecue,' later emerged in a white suit and made a floral offering at the location of Dessalines' murder, taking the place of the prime minister

Fuel Protests

Widespread anger in Haiti over a weakening currency, double-digit inflation, soaring crime, and graft accusations lodged against public officials have sparked violent, sometimes deadly, protests.

Demonstrators on Thursday blocked streets of Port-au-Prince with rocks and tree branches, and burned tires to protest fuel shortages.

Drivers wound through the side streets of the capital, often forced to turn around after coming across barricades.

St Luc Lector, 26, a motorcycle driver in Petion-Ville, near the capital, said he joined the protest because he was angry about constantly searching for fuel.

"My motorcycle is my bread and butter," he said. "For months I have had to fight to find gasoline when I have to work. This strike is necessary because life is hard for us as motorcycle drivers."

A Haitian man identifying himself as the leader of the gang that kidnapped a group of American and Canadian missionaries said in a video posted on YouTube on Thursday that he was willing to kill "these Americans" if he does not get what he needs.

A Haitian man identifying himself as the leader of the gang that kidnapped a group of American and Canadian missionaries said in a video posted on YouTube on Thursday that he was willing to kill "these Americans" if he does not get what he needs. The speaker in the video, dressed in a purple suit, is recognizable as the man known in Haiti by the alias Lamo Sanjou, the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang that authorities say is behind the abduction of the missionaries at the weekend. Also Read | Haiti gang demands $17 million ransom for kidnapped missionaries and children The sixteen Americans and one Canadian - including five children - were on a trip organized by the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. The missionaries were not present in the video. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the veracity of the video or when it was made. "If I don't find what I need, these Americans, I'd rather kill them all, and I'll unload a big gun in the head of each of them," said the man in the video. Haitian Justice Minister Liszt Quitel told Reuters this week that the kidnappers were demanding $1 million per person for the release of the missionaries. The missionaries' seizure has focused global attention on Haiti's dire kidnapping problem, which has worsened amid economic and political crises in the Caribbean nation that have led to spiraling violence. The video includes footage of what appear to be five dead men laying in coffins, who the man described as "fallen soldiers," blaming their deaths on police chief Leon Charles. "Leon Charles made me cry, gentlemen. When it was my turn, I cried my eyes out, and when I make you cry, I will make you cry tears of blood," he said. Haitian media outlet Le Nouvelliste on Thursday said that Charles had presented his resignation. A Haitian police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House said on Thursday it would do all it could to help the missionaries. "We will do everything that we can to help resolve the situation," said White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. A senior State Department official told reporters that the video was legitimate. "If you are a kidnapper, your job is to say those kind of things," the official said. "We need to work with our Haitian law enforcement partners and the families and the institutions to try and move this process forward to a safe resolution." Kidnapping Epidemic Christian Aid Ministries said it was aware of the video but would not comment until the hostage negotiators determined that any such remarks would not jeopardize the well-being of the group. The 400 Mawozo began as small-time local thieves and rose to become one of Haiti's most feared gangs, controlling a swathe of countryside east of the capital Port-au-Prince, according to security experts. Haitian gangs have steadily expanded their territory in recent years, and have grown more brazen since the July assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Their leaders - mostly notably Jimmy Cherizier, leader of a gang coalition called G9 - have taken on increasingly public roles, offering extensive interviews broadcast online and at times publicly threatening politicians. Also Read | 15 US missionaries and family kidnapped in Haiti: security source When Prime Minister Ariel Henry attempted on Sunday to lead a ceremony commemorating the death of one of Haiti's founding-fathers, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, gangs fired shots until his delegation withdrew to hold the ceremony elsewhere. Cherizier, who goes by the alias 'Barbecue,' later emerged in a white suit and made a floral offering at the location of Dessalines' murder, taking the place of the prime minister Fuel Protests Widespread anger in Haiti over a weakening currency, double-digit inflation, soaring crime, and graft accusations lodged against public officials have sparked violent, sometimes deadly, protests. Demonstrators on Thursday blocked streets of Port-au-Prince with rocks and tree branches, and burned tires to protest fuel shortages. Drivers wound through the side streets of the capital, often forced to turn around after coming across barricades. St Luc Lector, 26, a motorcycle driver in Petion-Ville, near the capital, said he joined the protest because he was angry about constantly searching for fuel. "My motorcycle is my bread and butter," he said. "For months I have had to fight to find gasoline when I have to work. This strike is necessary because life is hard for us as motorcycle drivers."

Haiti gang leader threatens to kill kidnapped American missionaries

A Haitian gang kidnapped a group of American and Canadian missionaries is asking for r $1 million each - to release them, watch this report for more.

Haiti gang kidnaps group of American, Canadian missionaries

A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs and the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute has found that the majority of Americans are concerned about cyberattacks on critical groups, especially those in the financial and national security sectors.

The poll reveals that three-quarters of those surveyed are especially concerned about cyberattacks from the Russian and Chinese governments, while just over half were concerned about attacks from cybercriminal groups.&nbsp;

There were also concerns around attacks on financial institutions. Over 90 per cent of respondents are concerned about threats to their data as a result of these attacks.&nbsp;

Over 90 per cent of respondents are also similarly concerned about attacks on national security and defence systems, healthcare groups, and the electricity sector.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capsule-from-1765-containing-air-reveal-facts-about-antarctic-ice-419895">Also read |&nbsp;Capsule from 1765 containing air reveal facts about Antarctic ice</a>

Sheila Kohanteb, the executive director of External Relations at the Pearson Institute, in a statement said, "The public is clearly worried about cyber-attacks, and many Americans see such attacks as a potential result of international conflict."

“The survey results show Americans are far more concerned about cyber-attacks from China and Russia than those from other governments, groups, or individuals.”&nbsp;

The poll concludes that 75 per cent of respondents over the age of 60 were concerned about cyberattacks, while less than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were concerned about the same.

Older adults were also more concerned about attacks from the Russian or Chinese governments than younger adults

The poll was conducted over a week in September, with over 1,000 US adults responding via online survey or phone interview.&nbsp;

A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs and the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute has found that the majority of Americans are concerned about cyberattacks on critical groups, especially those in the financial and national security sectors.

A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs and the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute has found that the majority of Americans are concerned about cyberattacks on critical groups, especially those in the financial and national security sectors. The poll reveals that three-quarters of those surveyed are especially concerned about cyberattacks from the Russian and Chinese governments, while just over half were concerned about attacks from cybercriminal groups. There were also concerns around attacks on financial institutions. Over 90 per cent of respondents are concerned about threats to their data as a result of these attacks. Over 90 per cent of respondents are also similarly concerned about attacks on national security and defence systems, healthcare groups, and the electricity sector. Also read | Capsule from 1765 containing air reveal facts about Antarctic ice Sheila Kohanteb, the executive director of External Relations at the Pearson Institute, in a statement said, "The public is clearly worried about cyber-attacks, and many Americans see such attacks as a potential result of international conflict." “The survey results show Americans are far more concerned about cyber-attacks from China and Russia than those from other governments, groups, or individuals.” The poll concludes that 75 per cent of respondents over the age of 60 were concerned about cyberattacks, while less than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were concerned about the same. Older adults were also more concerned about attacks from the Russian or Chinese governments than younger adults The poll was conducted over a week in September, with over 1,000 US adults responding via online survey or phone interview.

Most Americans concerned about cyberattacks on critical groups, reveals poll

Bangladeshi American Delowar Mohammed Hossain, who was stopped by US law enforcement as he was about to fly out to join the Taliban, has been convicted on charges of trying to help the terrorist organisation that now controls Afghanistan.

A jury in the New York federal court found him guilty on Friday of trying to contribute funds, goods and services to the Taliban as well as attempting to provide support for terrorism.

Hossain, 36, came to the US from Bangladesh and is now an American citizen.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ghanis-ex-bodyguard-ready-to-give-proof-of-ex-president-fleeing-with-bags-of-cash-419575">Ghani's ex-bodyguard ready to give proof of ex-president fleeing with bags of cash</a>

He was arrested in 2019 as he was about to board a plane in New York bound for Thailand en route to Pakistan.

The complaint filed by officials said that he had planned to fly first to Thailand rather than directly to Pakistan in order to throw off suspicions about where he was headed.

A court allowed him last year to be detained at home as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country.

The trial lasted about a week and the jury, a panel made up of ordinary citizens that render verdicts in the US, reached convicted him after deliberating for two days after the close of testimony and arguments.

At the time of his arrest, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) New York office, William Sweeney, said: "The lure of radical ideologies comes from many sources, and just because the Taliban may seem like an old and out of vogue extremist group, it shouldn't be underestimated."

It has since become powerful enough to take over Afghanistan as the US withdrew its troops from there.

According to the complaint filed in a federal court, Hossain tried to recruit an FBI "confidential source" to travel with him to Pakistan and cross into Afghanistan to join the Taliban.

The complaint said that Hossain told the source he wanted to "fight the American government, and kill some kufars (non-believers) before I die".

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/dont-try-to-destabilise-regime-taliban-warns-us-in-first-face-to-face-talks-after-withdrawal-419514">Don't try to 'destabilise' regime, Taliban warns US in first face-to-face talks after withdrawal</a>

He bought communication equipment and trekking gear for his mission and asked the source to save money to buy arms.

There have been several cases of people of Bangladeshi descent arrested on terrorism charges or convicted of terrorism-related offences.

A couple from Pennsylvania, Shahidul Gaffar and Nabila Khan, were sentenced last month after being convicted of conspiring to give material support to the Islamic State terror organisation.

Gaffar received a sentence of 18 months and Khan two years.

According to the prosecutors, Khan had her gold in Bangladesh sold to help a brother go to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) terror group in 2015.

Gaffar sent money to enable another of her brothers to travel to Syria to enlist in the group in 2015. That brother was killed there in March 2019, according to prosecutors.

Akayed Ullah, a supporter of the IS, was sentenced to life in prison in April after having been convicted on terrorism charges.

He had been arrested in 2017 when a pipe bomb he was carrying exploded in a tunnel under Times Square in New York injuring him.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/he-smashed-the-idol-of-somnath-taliban-leader-anas-haqqani-praises-mahmud-ghaznavi-418613">'He smashed the idol of Somnath': Taliban leader Anas Haqqani praises Mahmud Ghaznavi</a>

After his conviction he told the court he was not an IS supporter but was only angry with then-President Donald Trump.

Ashiqul Alam was arrested in June 2019 in connection with a plot to shoot up Times Square.

Rahatul Ashikim Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2015 after being convicted of aiding terrorist organisations. He had been "screening and recruiting potential foreign fighters located in the US to wage violent jihad in various locations overseas, including Somalia", according to federal prosecutors in Texas.

The terror groups he was involved with were the Taliban, al-Shabaab and the Islamic State.

Al Qaeda supporter Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was sentenced to years in prison in 2013 after being convicted in a failed plot to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank in 2012.

The attack failed because the undercover agent he had contacted gave him a fake bomb.

Bangladeshi American Delowar Mohammed Hossain, who was stopped by US law enforcement as he was about to fly out to join the Taliban, has been convicted on charges of trying to help the terrorist organisation that now controls Afghanistan.

Bangladeshi American Delowar Mohammed Hossain, who was stopped by US law enforcement as he was about to fly out to join the Taliban, has been convicted on charges of trying to help the terrorist organisation that now controls Afghanistan. A jury in the New York federal court found him guilty on Friday of trying to contribute funds, goods and services to the Taliban as well as attempting to provide support for terrorism. Hossain, 36, came to the US from Bangladesh and is now an American citizen. Also Read | Ghani's ex-bodyguard ready to give proof of ex-president fleeing with bags of cash He was arrested in 2019 as he was about to board a plane in New York bound for Thailand en route to Pakistan. The complaint filed by officials said that he had planned to fly first to Thailand rather than directly to Pakistan in order to throw off suspicions about where he was headed. A court allowed him last year to be detained at home as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country. The trial lasted about a week and the jury, a panel made up of ordinary citizens that render verdicts in the US, reached convicted him after deliberating for two days after the close of testimony and arguments. At the time of his arrest, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) New York office, William Sweeney, said: "The lure of radical ideologies comes from many sources, and just because the Taliban may seem like an old and out of vogue extremist group, it shouldn't be underestimated." It has since become powerful enough to take over Afghanistan as the US withdrew its troops from there. According to the complaint filed in a federal court, Hossain tried to recruit an FBI "confidential source" to travel with him to Pakistan and cross into Afghanistan to join the Taliban. The complaint said that Hossain told the source he wanted to "fight the American government, and kill some kufars (non-believers) before I die". Also Read | Don't try to 'destabilise' regime, Taliban warns US in first face-to-face talks after withdrawal He bought communication equipment and trekking gear for his mission and asked the source to save money to buy arms. There have been several cases of people of Bangladeshi descent arrested on terrorism charges or convicted of terrorism-related offences. A couple from Pennsylvania, Shahidul Gaffar and Nabila Khan, were sentenced last month after being convicted of conspiring to give material support to the Islamic State terror organisation. Gaffar received a sentence of 18 months and Khan two years. According to the prosecutors, Khan had her gold in Bangladesh sold to help a brother go to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) terror group in 2015. Gaffar sent money to enable another of her brothers to travel to Syria to enlist in the group in 2015. That brother was killed there in March 2019, according to prosecutors. Akayed Ullah, a supporter of the IS, was sentenced to life in prison in April after having been convicted on terrorism charges. He had been arrested in 2017 when a pipe bomb he was carrying exploded in a tunnel under Times Square in New York injuring him. Also Read | 'He smashed the idol of Somnath': Taliban leader Anas Haqqani praises Mahmud Ghaznavi After his conviction he told the court he was not an IS supporter but was only angry with then-President Donald Trump. Ashiqul Alam was arrested in June 2019 in connection with a plot to shoot up Times Square. Rahatul Ashikim Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2015 after being convicted of aiding terrorist organisations. He had been "screening and recruiting potential foreign fighters located in the US to wage violent jihad in various locations overseas, including Somalia", according to federal prosecutors in Texas. The terror groups he was involved with were the Taliban, al-Shabaab and the Islamic State. Al Qaeda supporter Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was sentenced to years in prison in 2013 after being convicted in a failed plot to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank in 2012. The attack failed because the undercover agent he had contacted gave him a fake bomb.

Bangladeshi American convicted on charge of trying to aid Taliban

China has allowed two American siblings who were barred from leaving the country for more than three years to return to the United States, after a Justice Department deal that cleared the way for a senior executive of Huawei Technologies to go back to China, their lawyer said Monday.

The release of Victor Liu, a student at Georgetown University, and Cynthia Liu, a consultant at McKinsey &amp;amp; Co., was the latest in a series of moves that appeared intended to de-escalate tensions between the United States and China after the Huawei deal. The two had never been accused of wrongdoing but were subject to an “exit ban” preventing them from leaving China.

Their release over the weekend coincided with an agreement Friday to release the executive, Meng Wanzhou, who spent nearly three years out on bail at her two luxurious homes in Vancouver, British Columbia, as the United States sought her extradition in a fraud case related to Huawei’s sale of telecommunications equipment to Iran.

Meng arrived in China on Saturday.

Within hours, China released two Canadians whom it had held since shortly after Meng was detained, and who had appeared to be jailed as hostages to Meng’s case. The exchange led national security experts to worry that China had created the impression it would use hostages to gain the upper hand in diplomatic and national security matters.

The release of the two Americans on Saturday, the day after Meng’s deal was announced, will most likely strengthen that impression.

The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that it did not cut a deal with Meng in response to the detention of Canadian and U.S. citizens. “The Justice Department reached the decision to offer a deferred prosecution agreement with Ms. Meng independently, based on the facts and the law, and an assessment of litigation risk,” Anthony Coley, a Justice Department spokesman, said in a statement.

The White House pushed back Monday on the idea that China had used hostages to strengthen its negotiating position. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said that the deal with Meng was an action by “an independent Department of Justice,” and that her legal situation was not resolved to get prisoners released.

“I think it’s important to note, and to be very clear about this, there is no link,” Psaki said, referring to the release of the Canadians and the settlement with Meng. She said the White House had made no secret that it wanted the Canadians released.

The siblings went to China in June 2018 to visit their ailing grandfather. On the trip, their mother, also an American citizen, was detained by the police and the siblings were barred from leaving the country. Their father, Liu Changming, a former executive at a Chinese bank, was wanted by the Chinese police for his role in a fraud case. The exit ban, and the jailing of their mother, was seen as a way to coerce their father to return to China and turn himself in.

While the Biden administration said there was no deal tying the resolution of Meng’s case to the release of the siblings, their prolonged detention in China appeared to be related to Meng’s arrest in December 2018, said Evan Medeiros, a professor at Georgetown University who was senior Asia director at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama.

In late 2018, President Donald Trump had raised the issue of Victor and Cynthia Liu’s release at a summit in Argentina with President Xi Jinping of China, and Xi had agreed to let them leave, said Medeiros, who was involved in efforts to release the siblings. But on the day the summit ended, Meng was taken into custody in Canada, and the agreement was off.

“There appears to have been a de facto linkage for China,” Medeiros said in a telephone interview.

U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that exit bans of U.S. citizens were a major concern. In its advisory for U.S. citizens thinking of going to China, the State Department singles them out as a risk. Often people find out that they are blocked only when they try to leave, states the advisory, “and there is no reliable mechanism or legal process to find out how long the ban might continue or to contest it in a court of law.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed senior Chinese officials about exit bans during talks in Anchorage, Alaska, in March, and raised cases of Americans trapped in exit bans during a phone call with China’s top foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, in June.

When the deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, visited China for talks in July, she “raised the cases of American and Canadian citizens” detained in China or held under exit bans, and told Chinese officials that “people are not bargaining chips,” the State Department said at the time.

Last month, Sherman held a meeting in Washington with China’s recently arrived ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, and “reviewed issues” from her earlier talks in China, the State Department said.

The siblings’ lawyer, Marc Ginsberg, credited their release in part to a Sept. 9 phone call between President Joe Biden and Xi. “I’m sure the president’s call with President Xi helped to break a logjam,” said Ginsberg, a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco who has been working pro bono for Victor and Cynthia Liu.

In a telephone interview, he said Victor and Cynthia Liu would have no comment for the news media.

For its part, the Chinese government also denied a trade-off Monday between Meng and the two Canadians, and did not mention any releases from exit bans.

The Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were allowed to return to Canada after receiving medical bail, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told a regular news briefing in Beijing. She said Meng was the real victim, not them.

“The Meng Wanzhou incident is completely different in essence from the two Canadians’ cases,” she said. “As for the timing, I want to point out that the groundless detention of Meng Wanzhou is a serious mistake made by the U.S. and Canada, which they should have corrected long ago.”

The siblings’ case had been brought up with China by other U.S. officials, and Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats of Massachusetts, had also pushed for their release, as had Georgetown University, Ginsberg said.

In a joint statement hailing their release, Markey and Warren confirmed that senior State Department officials — including Blinken and Sherman — had pressed their case.

“We are so pleased to welcome Cynthia and Victor Liu back home after three difficult years being held in China as pawns for the Chinese government,” the lawmakers said. “Cynthia and Victor had their young lives completely upended.”

Unlike the Canadians, who were held for nearly three years in a Chinese prison in apparent retaliation for Meng being unable to leave Canada, Victor and Cynthia Liu were not accused of crimes and were not in custody. They lived in a rented apartment in Shanghai, and Victor Liu continued his studies at Georgetown remotely, Ginsberg said.

Their mother, Sandra Han, remains in jail, Ginsberg said.

Victor and Cynthia Liu arrived in the United States on Saturday and are staying in the New York area. They grew up in Massachusetts.

“We have awaited this moment with great anticipation,” John J. DeGioia, the president of Georgetown University, said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming Victor back to campus.”

China has allowed two American siblings who were barred from leaving the country for more than three years to return to the United States, after a Justice Department deal that cleared the way for a senior executive of Huawei Technologies to go back to China, their lawyer said Monday.

China has allowed two American siblings who were barred from leaving the country for more than three years to return to the United States, after a Justice Department deal that cleared the way for a senior executive of Huawei Technologies to go back to China, their lawyer said Monday. The release of Victor Liu, a student at Georgetown University, and Cynthia Liu, a consultant at McKinsey &amp; Co., was the latest in a series of moves that appeared intended to de-escalate tensions between the United States and China after the Huawei deal. The two had never been accused of wrongdoing but were subject to an “exit ban” preventing them from leaving China. Their release over the weekend coincided with an agreement Friday to release the executive, Meng Wanzhou, who spent nearly three years out on bail at her two luxurious homes in Vancouver, British Columbia, as the United States sought her extradition in a fraud case related to Huawei’s sale of telecommunications equipment to Iran. Meng arrived in China on Saturday. Within hours, China released two Canadians whom it had held since shortly after Meng was detained, and who had appeared to be jailed as hostages to Meng’s case. The exchange led national security experts to worry that China had created the impression it would use hostages to gain the upper hand in diplomatic and national security matters. The release of the two Americans on Saturday, the day after Meng’s deal was announced, will most likely strengthen that impression. The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that it did not cut a deal with Meng in response to the detention of Canadian and U.S. citizens. “The Justice Department reached the decision to offer a deferred prosecution agreement with Ms. Meng independently, based on the facts and the law, and an assessment of litigation risk,” Anthony Coley, a Justice Department spokesman, said in a statement. The White House pushed back Monday on the idea that China had used hostages to strengthen its negotiating position. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said that the deal with Meng was an action by “an independent Department of Justice,” and that her legal situation was not resolved to get prisoners released. “I think it’s important to note, and to be very clear about this, there is no link,” Psaki said, referring to the release of the Canadians and the settlement with Meng. She said the White House had made no secret that it wanted the Canadians released. The siblings went to China in June 2018 to visit their ailing grandfather. On the trip, their mother, also an American citizen, was detained by the police and the siblings were barred from leaving the country. Their father, Liu Changming, a former executive at a Chinese bank, was wanted by the Chinese police for his role in a fraud case. The exit ban, and the jailing of their mother, was seen as a way to coerce their father to return to China and turn himself in. While the Biden administration said there was no deal tying the resolution of Meng’s case to the release of the siblings, their prolonged detention in China appeared to be related to Meng’s arrest in December 2018, said Evan Medeiros, a professor at Georgetown University who was senior Asia director at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama. In late 2018, President Donald Trump had raised the issue of Victor and Cynthia Liu’s release at a summit in Argentina with President Xi Jinping of China, and Xi had agreed to let them leave, said Medeiros, who was involved in efforts to release the siblings. But on the day the summit ended, Meng was taken into custody in Canada, and the agreement was off. “There appears to have been a de facto linkage for China,” Medeiros said in a telephone interview. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that exit bans of U.S. citizens were a major concern. In its advisory for U.S. citizens thinking of going to China, the State Department singles them out as a risk. Often people find out that they are blocked only when they try to leave, states the advisory, “and there is no reliable mechanism or legal process to find out how long the ban might continue or to contest it in a court of law.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed senior Chinese officials about exit bans during talks in Anchorage, Alaska, in March, and raised cases of Americans trapped in exit bans during a phone call with China’s top foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, in June. When the deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, visited China for talks in July, she “raised the cases of American and Canadian citizens” detained in China or held under exit bans, and told Chinese officials that “people are not bargaining chips,” the State Department said at the time. Last month, Sherman held a meeting in Washington with China’s recently arrived ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, and “reviewed issues” from her earlier talks in China, the State Department said. The siblings’ lawyer, Marc Ginsberg, credited their release in part to a Sept. 9 phone call between President Joe Biden and Xi. “I’m sure the president’s call with President Xi helped to break a logjam,” said Ginsberg, a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco who has been working pro bono for Victor and Cynthia Liu. In a telephone interview, he said Victor and Cynthia Liu would have no comment for the news media. For its part, the Chinese government also denied a trade-off Monday between Meng and the two Canadians, and did not mention any releases from exit bans. The Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were allowed to return to Canada after receiving medical bail, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told a regular news briefing in Beijing. She said Meng was the real victim, not them. “The Meng Wanzhou incident is completely different in essence from the two Canadians’ cases,” she said. “As for the timing, I want to point out that the groundless detention of Meng Wanzhou is a serious mistake made by the U.S. and Canada, which they should have corrected long ago.” The siblings’ case had been brought up with China by other U.S. officials, and Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats of Massachusetts, had also pushed for their release, as had Georgetown University, Ginsberg said. In a joint statement hailing their release, Markey and Warren confirmed that senior State Department officials — including Blinken and Sherman — had pressed their case. “We are so pleased to welcome Cynthia and Victor Liu back home after three difficult years being held in China as pawns for the Chinese government,” the lawmakers said. “Cynthia and Victor had their young lives completely upended.” Unlike the Canadians, who were held for nearly three years in a Chinese prison in apparent retaliation for Meng being unable to leave Canada, Victor and Cynthia Liu were not accused of crimes and were not in custody. They lived in a rented apartment in Shanghai, and Victor Liu continued his studies at Georgetown remotely, Ginsberg said. Their mother, Sandra Han, remains in jail, Ginsberg said. Victor and Cynthia Liu arrived in the United States on Saturday and are staying in the New York area. They grew up in Massachusetts. “We have awaited this moment with great anticipation,” John J. DeGioia, the president of Georgetown University, said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming Victor back to campus.”

American siblings barred from leaving China for 3 years return to US

Danny Fenster, an American journalist who was arrested in May as he prepared to leave Myanmar, was ordered Monday to remain in prison as police investigate a vague accusation that he disseminated information that could be harmful to the military.

The court hearing marked his 120th day in custody. Fenster is the only American known to be under arrest in Myanmar and has become an international symbol of the military junta’s crackdown on free expression.

No formal charge has been filed against the Detroit native. No evidence has been presented against him at any of his eight court appearances, which are conducted by video and last only a few minutes. He is not permitted to speak or ask questions and has rarely met with his attorney since his arrest May 24.

Fenster, managing editor of Frontier Myanmar magazine, is accused of disseminating information that might induce military officers to disregard or fail in their duties, a charge often brought against journalists in the Southeast Asian nation. He faces three years in prison.

The Biden administration, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Frontier Myanmar and Fenster’s family have called for his release.

“The detention of Danny Fenster and other journalists constitutes an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression in Burma,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier this month, using the country’s former name. “We continue to press Burma’s military regime to release Danny immediately.”

Myanmar’s military, which had shared power with civilian governments for a decade, seized control in a Feb. 1 coup, triggering widespread street protests and a nationwide general strike. Troops and police have killed more than 1,100 people and imprisoned 6,600, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an advocacy group.

The junta has arrested more than 100 journalists since February, and 47 remain in custody, according to a media group that is tracking arrests. Four of those arrested have been foreign journalists: two from the United States, one from Japan and one from Poland.

All but Fenster have been deported, including Nathan Maung, an American citizen and co-founder of Kamayut Media, an online news site. While in custody, Maung and his co-founder, Hanthar Nyein, were severely beaten, burned and forced to kneel on ice with their hands cuffed behind them, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-urges-immediate-us-action-on-migration-causes-414538">Also read |&nbsp;Mexico urges immediate US action on migration causes</a>

Fenster and his wife, Juliana, had been married less than seven weeks when he was arrested at Yangon International Airport as he prepared to leave the country. She has remained in Myanmar to work for his release but has been given limited access to him.

Fenster is being held at the notorious Insein Prison. COVID-19 swept through the institution earlier this year, and Fenster appears to have caught it. He lost his sense of taste and smell and suffered chest congestion, among other symptoms, but was never tested. He has since largely recovered, his family said.

He has seldom been allowed to have visitors, and his communications with family and the United States embassy have been limited. His lawyer, Than Zaw Aung, said he last met his client in person July 15 and that Fenster has never received a COVID vaccine. During Monday’s video hearing, Fenster looked tired, the lawyer said.

Fenster’s elder brother, Bryan, spoke with him in a rare phone call last week and said that he remained positive.

“He is making the best of it, and he has a great attitude,” Bryan Fenster said, adding, “but he has no idea of what is going on in his case.”

Danny Fenster, 37, arrived in Myanmar in 2019 and worked for three of the top English-language news organizations there, most recently at Frontier. He oversaw the English versions of stories for the print magazine and online, his brother said.

The regime’s decision to arrest Fenster appears to have stemmed from his previous employment at Myanmar Now, another online news outlet, even though he left that job nearly a year before starting work at Frontier.

Myanmar Now and its editor-in-chief, Swe Win, have long been targets of the military because of the outlet’s tough investigative reporting. Swe Win left the country after he was wounded in a 2019 assassination attempt.

Swe Win said the regime may have pursued Fenster because he helped report on a Myanmar Now story last year that highlighted the military’s business partnership with Japanese companies in developing a $330 million luxury hotel and office complex on military-owned land near downtown Yangon.

“I believe that Danny’s name was on the arrest list because he worked on that story,” Swe Win said.

A complaint letter filed with the court shows that police mistakenly believed Fenster still worked for Myanmar Now at the time of his arrest, Frontier reported.

Swe Win praised Fenster’s dedication to journalism.

“Danny is interested in Myanmar news and has a strong passion for his professional work,” he said. “He is also humble and always gets along well with his co-workers. He is a good colleague.”

Bryan Fenster said the family hoped the regime would bring formal charges, which could pave the way for his deportation.

“We just want him to go back into court so they can go through their process,” Bryan Fenster said. “The sooner they can go through the process the sooner they can deport him.”

The US Embassy in Yangon is attempting to secure Danny Fenster’s release but has little leverage with the military regime. An embassy spokesman said the State Department is seeking regular contact with Fenster and last spoke with him a week ago.

Fenster earned a master’s degree in creative writing from Wayne State University and worked for news outlets in Detroit and Louisiana before moving to Myanmar. “We always joke in our family that he’s kind of like a tumbleweed,” his brother said. “He establishes roots in one place, and then he is off somewhere else.”

The Fenster brothers, grandsons of Holocaust survivors, volunteered in the mid-2000s to assist refugees in Chicago and were assigned to help a family from Myanmar. That may have helped inspire Fenster’s decision to live there, his brother said.

“Danny is a human being who, in his essence, is hard-wired to care and learn about other human beings,” he said. “In that same spirit of human kindness, we are hoping and expecting that he will be released and reunited with his family and loved ones at home.”

Danny Fenster, an American journalist who was arrested in May as he prepared to leave Myanmar, was ordered Monday to remain in prison as police investigate a vague accusation that he disseminated information that could be harmful to the military.

Danny Fenster, an American journalist who was arrested in May as he prepared to leave Myanmar, was ordered Monday to remain in prison as police investigate a vague accusation that he disseminated information that could be harmful to the military. The court hearing marked his 120th day in custody. Fenster is the only American known to be under arrest in Myanmar and has become an international symbol of the military junta’s crackdown on free expression. No formal charge has been filed against the Detroit native. No evidence has been presented against him at any of his eight court appearances, which are conducted by video and last only a few minutes. He is not permitted to speak or ask questions and has rarely met with his attorney since his arrest May 24. Fenster, managing editor of Frontier Myanmar magazine, is accused of disseminating information that might induce military officers to disregard or fail in their duties, a charge often brought against journalists in the Southeast Asian nation. He faces three years in prison. The Biden administration, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Frontier Myanmar and Fenster’s family have called for his release. “The detention of Danny Fenster and other journalists constitutes an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression in Burma,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier this month, using the country’s former name. “We continue to press Burma’s military regime to release Danny immediately.” Myanmar’s military, which had shared power with civilian governments for a decade, seized control in a Feb. 1 coup, triggering widespread street protests and a nationwide general strike. Troops and police have killed more than 1,100 people and imprisoned 6,600, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an advocacy group. The junta has arrested more than 100 journalists since February, and 47 remain in custody, according to a media group that is tracking arrests. Four of those arrested have been foreign journalists: two from the United States, one from Japan and one from Poland. All but Fenster have been deported, including Nathan Maung, an American citizen and co-founder of Kamayut Media, an online news site. While in custody, Maung and his co-founder, Hanthar Nyein, were severely beaten, burned and forced to kneel on ice with their hands cuffed behind them, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Also read | Mexico urges immediate US action on migration causes Fenster and his wife, Juliana, had been married less than seven weeks when he was arrested at Yangon International Airport as he prepared to leave the country. She has remained in Myanmar to work for his release but has been given limited access to him. Fenster is being held at the notorious Insein Prison. COVID-19 swept through the institution earlier this year, and Fenster appears to have caught it. He lost his sense of taste and smell and suffered chest congestion, among other symptoms, but was never tested. He has since largely recovered, his family said. He has seldom been allowed to have visitors, and his communications with family and the United States embassy have been limited. His lawyer, Than Zaw Aung, said he last met his client in person July 15 and that Fenster has never received a COVID vaccine. During Monday’s video hearing, Fenster looked tired, the lawyer said. Fenster’s elder brother, Bryan, spoke with him in a rare phone call last week and said that he remained positive. “He is making the best of it, and he has a great attitude,” Bryan Fenster said, adding, “but he has no idea of what is going on in his case.” Danny Fenster, 37, arrived in Myanmar in 2019 and worked for three of the top English-language news organizations there, most recently at Frontier. He oversaw the English versions of stories for the print magazine and online, his brother said. The regime’s decision to arrest Fenster appears to have stemmed from his previous employment at Myanmar Now, another online news outlet, even though he left that job nearly a year before starting work at Frontier. Myanmar Now and its editor-in-chief, Swe Win, have long been targets of the military because of the outlet’s tough investigative reporting. Swe Win left the country after he was wounded in a 2019 assassination attempt. Swe Win said the regime may have pursued Fenster because he helped report on a Myanmar Now story last year that highlighted the military’s business partnership with Japanese companies in developing a $330 million luxury hotel and office complex on military-owned land near downtown Yangon. “I believe that Danny’s name was on the arrest list because he worked on that story,” Swe Win said. A complaint letter filed with the court shows that police mistakenly believed Fenster still worked for Myanmar Now at the time of his arrest, Frontier reported. Swe Win praised Fenster’s dedication to journalism. “Danny is interested in Myanmar news and has a strong passion for his professional work,” he said. “He is also humble and always gets along well with his co-workers. He is a good colleague.” Bryan Fenster said the family hoped the regime would bring formal charges, which could pave the way for his deportation. “We just want him to go back into court so they can go through their process,” Bryan Fenster said. “The sooner they can go through the process the sooner they can deport him.” The US Embassy in Yangon is attempting to secure Danny Fenster’s release but has little leverage with the military regime. An embassy spokesman said the State Department is seeking regular contact with Fenster and last spoke with him a week ago. Fenster earned a master’s degree in creative writing from Wayne State University and worked for news outlets in Detroit and Louisiana before moving to Myanmar. “We always joke in our family that he’s kind of like a tumbleweed,” his brother said. “He establishes roots in one place, and then he is off somewhere else.” The Fenster brothers, grandsons of Holocaust survivors, volunteered in the mid-2000s to assist refugees in Chicago and were assigned to help a family from Myanmar. That may have helped inspire Fenster’s decision to live there, his brother said. “Danny is a human being who, in his essence, is hard-wired to care and learn about other human beings,” he said. “In that same spirit of human kindness, we are hoping and expecting that he will be released and reunited with his family and loved ones at home.”

An American journalist sits in prison as Myanmar suppresses dissent

California experienced its hottest summer on record this year as the climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves and intense wildfires in the state and across the western parts of America.&nbsp;

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah, totalling 18.4 per cent of the contiguous US also endured record hot summers.&nbsp;

Sixteen other states recorded a top-five warmest summer.

Across the lower 48 states, the average temperature in June, July and August was 76F, 2.6F above average.

This slightly exceeds that of the Dust Bowl summer of 1936.

The west faced historic heatwaves this summer, with cities across the typically cool Pacific north-west hitting their highest temperatures on record.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-drone-strike-may-have-killed-aid-worker-children-and-not-isis-k-militants-reports-412228">Also read |&nbsp;US drone strike may have killed aid worker, children, and not ISIS-K militants: Reports</a>

Early summer heatwave killed hundreds of people in Oregon and Washington.

Also, nearly 500 people in Canada’s westernmost province lost their lives. Experts also warned that the heat had probably also killed more than 1 billion marine animals along Canada’s Pacific coast.

In the US, the heat strained the power grid and forced schools, businesses, outdoor pools, COVID-19 testing sites and mobile vaccination units to close.&nbsp;

A detailed scientific analysis has revealed that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.

Thom Porter, the Cal Fire chief, last month said, "There is fire activity happening in California that we have never seen before. The critical thing for the public to know is evacuate early".&nbsp;

He further added, "Every acre can and will burn someday in this state.”

California experienced its hottest summer on record this year as the climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves and intense wildfires in the state and across the western parts of America.

California experienced its hottest summer on record this year as the climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves and intense wildfires in the state and across the western parts of America. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah, totalling 18.4 per cent of the contiguous US also endured record hot summers. Sixteen other states recorded a top-five warmest summer. Across the lower 48 states, the average temperature in June, July and August was 76F, 2.6F above average. This slightly exceeds that of the Dust Bowl summer of 1936. The west faced historic heatwaves this summer, with cities across the typically cool Pacific north-west hitting their highest temperatures on record. Also read | US drone strike may have killed aid worker, children, and not ISIS-K militants: Reports Early summer heatwave killed hundreds of people in Oregon and Washington. Also, nearly 500 people in Canada’s westernmost province lost their lives. Experts also warned that the heat had probably also killed more than 1 billion marine animals along Canada’s Pacific coast. In the US, the heat strained the power grid and forced schools, businesses, outdoor pools, COVID-19 testing sites and mobile vaccination units to close. A detailed scientific analysis has revealed that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change. Thom Porter, the Cal Fire chief, last month said, "There is fire activity happening in California that we have never seen before. The critical thing for the public to know is evacuate early". He further added, "Every acre can and will burn someday in this state.”

States across American west see hottest summer on record

According to a US official, 200 Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan will leave the war-torn country on charter planes from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban leadership consented to their evacuation.

The flights will be among the first international flights to exit Kabul airport since Islamist militias seized control of the capital in mid-August, sparking a chaotic US-led evacuation of 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans.&nbsp;

The action comes just two days after the Taliban proclaimed an interim government made up mostly of ethnic Pashtun men, including wanted terror suspects and Islamist hardliners, crushing international hopes for a more moderate government. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-use-whips-and-sticks-on-afghan-women-protesting-the-all-male-government-411861">Also read | Taliban use whips and sticks on Afghan women protesting the all-male government</a> 
 
According to a US official who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, the Taliban were pressured to accept the travel of US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad.

The official could not tell whether the American civilians and other foreign nationals were among those who had been stranded for days in Mazar-i-ShariI, in northern Afghanistan, since their private charters had been denied permission to exit.&nbsp;

The Taliban's introduction of a new government on Tuesday was generally interpreted as a hint that they were not aiming to widen their base and project a more tolerant image to the world, as they had promised before their military takeover. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-brutally-flog-and-torture-afghan-journalists-for-covering-womens-protests-411832">Also read | Taliban brutally flog and torture Afghan journalists for covering women's protests</a>

On Wednesday, foreign countries greeted the interim administration with caution and dismay.

Dozens of women took to the streets in Kabul to protest.

Many critics urged the leadership to uphold basic human rights and resuscitate the economy, which is on the verge of collapse due to high inflation, food shortages, and the threat of foreign aid cuts as countries strive to isolate the Taliban.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

According to a US official, 200 Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan will leave the war-torn country on charter planes from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban leadership consented to their evacuation.

According to a US official, 200 Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan will leave the war-torn country on charter planes from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban leadership consented to their evacuation. The flights will be among the first international flights to exit Kabul airport since Islamist militias seized control of the capital in mid-August, sparking a chaotic US-led evacuation of 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans. The action comes just two days after the Taliban proclaimed an interim government made up mostly of ethnic Pashtun men, including wanted terror suspects and Islamist hardliners, crushing international hopes for a more moderate government. Also read | Taliban use whips and sticks on Afghan women protesting the all-male government According to a US official who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, the Taliban were pressured to accept the travel of US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad. The official could not tell whether the American civilians and other foreign nationals were among those who had been stranded for days in Mazar-i-ShariI, in northern Afghanistan, since their private charters had been denied permission to exit. The Taliban's introduction of a new government on Tuesday was generally interpreted as a hint that they were not aiming to widen their base and project a more tolerant image to the world, as they had promised before their military takeover. Also read | Taliban brutally flog and torture Afghan journalists for covering women's protests On Wednesday, foreign countries greeted the interim administration with caution and dismay. Dozens of women took to the streets in Kabul to protest. Many critics urged the leadership to uphold basic human rights and resuscitate the economy, which is on the verge of collapse due to high inflation, food shortages, and the threat of foreign aid cuts as countries strive to isolate the Taliban. (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban agree to evacuation of 200 Americans, other foreigners from Afghanistan

Top American Senators, including Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Mark Warner, along with astronaut Sunita Williams on Friday greeted the people of India and the Indian-Americans on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, noting that the relationship between the world’s two biggest democracies is more important now than ever.

“I want to congratulate the people in India on 75 years of Independence. The strength of the relationship between the world's two biggest democracies is more important now than ever,” said Warner, Co-Chair of the powerful Senate India Caucus. This is the largest bilateral caucus in the United States Senate.

For 75 years, he said, India has moved into the future as a strong, resilient democracy.

“We have seen that strength through the challenges of the last 14 months as India, America and the world has been challenged by Covid-19,” Warner said in a special video message.

It was 74 years ago that India emancipated itself from British rule and began a long and storied journey toward becoming the biggest democracy in the world, said Senator Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus.

As co-founder of the Senate India caucus, Cornyn said he knows firsthand the importance of a strong relationship between the United States and India.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-independence-day-from-humble-beginnings-the-nation-made-strides-in-science-and-technology-405129">Also read |&nbsp;India's Independence Day: From humble beginnings, the nation made strides in science and technology</a>

“I'm proud to see how our ties have strengthened over the recent years,” he said.

Joining people of India and Indian-Americans in celebrating the 75th anniversary of India's independence, Senator Rick Scott said that the United States is proud to support India, the world's largest democracy and America’s important partner and to celebrate the many contributions of our Indian American community.

“Congratulations on 75 years of independence. I hope you have a wonderful celebration,” Scott said in a video message.

Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he is proud to join friends in Indian and Indian-American communities in New Jersey and around the world as Independence Day festivities begin.

“We recognise India’s rich heritage and many global contributions, and commit to building on our countries' strong bond,” he said.

Sending her independence day greetings, Sunita Williams mentioned the rich history of collaboration between India and the United States in space.

“NASA and ISRO have cooperated in many different areas, including Earth and space science. Additionally, NASA has provided deep space communication and navigation support for ISRO’s missions to the Moon and Mars,” she said.

“Exploring space is a global enterprise where we all need to work together. I am especially interested in following the progress of Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight mission,” Williams said.

Top American Senators, including Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Mark Warner, along with astronaut Sunita Williams on Friday greeted the people of India and the Indian-Americans on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, noting that the relationship between the world’s two biggest democracies is more important now than ever.

Top American Senators, including Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Mark Warner, along with astronaut Sunita Williams on Friday greeted the people of India and the Indian-Americans on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, noting that the relationship between the world’s two biggest democracies is more important now than ever. “I want to congratulate the people in India on 75 years of Independence. The strength of the relationship between the world's two biggest democracies is more important now than ever,” said Warner, Co-Chair of the powerful Senate India Caucus. This is the largest bilateral caucus in the United States Senate. For 75 years, he said, India has moved into the future as a strong, resilient democracy. “We have seen that strength through the challenges of the last 14 months as India, America and the world has been challenged by Covid-19,” Warner said in a special video message. It was 74 years ago that India emancipated itself from British rule and began a long and storied journey toward becoming the biggest democracy in the world, said Senator Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus. As co-founder of the Senate India caucus, Cornyn said he knows firsthand the importance of a strong relationship between the United States and India. Also read | India's Independence Day: From humble beginnings, the nation made strides in science and technology “I'm proud to see how our ties have strengthened over the recent years,” he said. Joining people of India and Indian-Americans in celebrating the 75th anniversary of India's independence, Senator Rick Scott said that the United States is proud to support India, the world's largest democracy and America’s important partner and to celebrate the many contributions of our Indian American community. “Congratulations on 75 years of independence. I hope you have a wonderful celebration,” Scott said in a video message. Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he is proud to join friends in Indian and Indian-American communities in New Jersey and around the world as Independence Day festivities begin. “We recognise India’s rich heritage and many global contributions, and commit to building on our countries' strong bond,” he said. Sending her independence day greetings, Sunita Williams mentioned the rich history of collaboration between India and the United States in space. “NASA and ISRO have cooperated in many different areas, including Earth and space science. Additionally, NASA has provided deep space communication and navigation support for ISRO’s missions to the Moon and Mars,” she said. “Exploring space is a global enterprise where we all need to work together. I am especially interested in following the progress of Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight mission,” Williams said.

American senators, astronaut Sunita Williams greet India on Independence Day

In the first analysis to calculate the mortal cost of carbon emissions, it has been revealed that the lifestyles of around three average Americans will create enough planet-heating emissions to kill one person.&nbsp;

Also, the emissions from a single coal-fired power plant are likely to result in more than 900 deaths.

The research is completely based on what is called the “social cost of carbon”.&nbsp;

It is a monetary figure which is placed upon the damage caused by each ton of carbon dioxide emissions. This is done by assigning an expected death toll from the emissions that cause the climate crisis.

The research relies on several public health studies to conclude that for every 4,434 metric tons of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere beyond the 2020 rate of emissions, one person globally will die prematurely from the increased temperature.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/researchers-develop-antibodies-for-neutralising-sars-cov-2-401678">Also read |&nbsp;Researchers develop antibodies for neutralising SARS-Cov-2</a>

As per Daniel Bressler of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, who wrote the paper, the figures for expected deaths from the release of emissions are definitive and may well be “a vast underestimate” as they only account for heat-related mortality rather than deaths from flooding, storms, and crop failures.

Bressler was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "There are a significant number of lives that can be saved if you pursue climate policies that are more aggressive than the business as usual scenario".&nbsp;

He further added, "I was surprised at how large the number of deaths are. There is some uncertainty over this, the number could be lower but it could also be a lot higher".

In the first analysis to calculate the mortal cost of carbon emissions, it has been revealed that the lifestyles of around three average Americans will create enough planet-heating emissions to kill one person.

In the first analysis to calculate the mortal cost of carbon emissions, it has been revealed that the lifestyles of around three average Americans will create enough planet-heating emissions to kill one person. Also, the emissions from a single coal-fired power plant are likely to result in more than 900 deaths. The research is completely based on what is called the “social cost of carbon”. It is a monetary figure which is placed upon the damage caused by each ton of carbon dioxide emissions. This is done by assigning an expected death toll from the emissions that cause the climate crisis. The research relies on several public health studies to conclude that for every 4,434 metric tons of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere beyond the 2020 rate of emissions, one person globally will die prematurely from the increased temperature. Also read | Researchers develop antibodies for neutralising SARS-Cov-2 As per Daniel Bressler of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, who wrote the paper, the figures for expected deaths from the release of emissions are definitive and may well be “a vast underestimate” as they only account for heat-related mortality rather than deaths from flooding, storms, and crop failures. Bressler was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "There are a significant number of lives that can be saved if you pursue climate policies that are more aggressive than the business as usual scenario". He further added, "I was surprised at how large the number of deaths are. There is some uncertainty over this, the number could be lower but it could also be a lot higher".

Study reveals three Americans create enough carbon emissions to kill one person

The recent dismissal of a white New York professor for reading aloud the "N-word" from a Mark Twain novel has shone a spotlight on the use of&nbsp;racial&nbsp;slurs&nbsp;in&nbsp;American&nbsp;classrooms.

It has renewed a long-standing debate about how books from some of the United States' most famous authors should be taught during an age of reckoning with&nbsp;racial&nbsp;injustice.

After years of hearing the term read from the texts of writers such as Twain and William Faulkner, students are increasingly taking a stand.

"There was no reason that I should have to go to my class and hear that slur," said Dylan Gilbert recalling the time in 2019 when her white English teacher at the University of Michigan uttered the term while reciting a passage from Faulkner.

Gilbert, who is Black, walked out of class.

"It felt like a reminder that even though I had gotten into Michigan I would still not be afforded the same opportunity for a safe learning environment as my white peers," she told AFP.

The issue came into sharp focus again last month when Hannah Berliner Fischthal, who is white, departed St. John's University in Queens, NYC.&nbsp;

She apologized after upsetting several students by pronouncing the&nbsp;racial&nbsp;slur out loud while reading an extract from Twain's 1894 book "Pudd'nhead Wilson" -- having first explained the context for the word in Twain's text and saying she hoped it would not cause offence.

The incident came after another professor, also white, this time at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania was dismissed for using the&nbsp;slur during a course.

"The word has such a history and such a psychological-emotional impact that just hearing the word, for some people, can be disruptive," said Arizona State University English professor Neal Lester, who is Black.

Derived from a Latin word, it became widely used in 18th Century America, partly to dehumanize African Americans and cast them as an inferior race.

Lester says he never says the word in his classroom.&nbsp;

Vershawn Young, a Black communications professor, takes a different view.

When, in June 2020, his employer, the University of Waterloo, announced that the word was banned on campus, Young refused to adhere to the new rule.

"When reading from a text, I say the word," he told AFP. "When students quote the text, they too are free to speak what they read. However, they also may replace the word with its euphemism. What they can't do is ignore it."

Young says he always prepares his students that it is coming so they aren't shocked.&nbsp;

"Outside of quotes, I do not use the word because I recognize my authority in relation to the multiple sensitivities that my students embody," he added.

Censorship

In an article in The Conversation last year, Young wrote that the ban on his campus censored Black professors like himself.

"I belong to multiple Black communities, where we use the N-word in six or seven culturally rich ways," he wrote, adding that banning it "serves the purposes of white supremacy."

In recent decades it has been culturally acceptable for Black people to use the word. It is regularly heard in discussions, movies or music, hip-hop songs being the most obvious example.&nbsp;

"Hearing a non-black person say the N-word is always offensive and harmful to me," said Gilbert, the student who objected to her white teacher using it.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uks-former-finance-minister-javid-appointed-as-health-minister-394201">Also Read |&nbsp;UK's former finance minister Javid appointed as health minister</a>

"(But) I have no problem with Black people saying (it). In my personal opinion the word is never violent or threatening to me when it comes out of Black person's mouth," she added.

Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer and writer who used to be an&nbsp;American&nbsp;Civil Liberties Union board member, said "the distinction between quoting a&nbsp;racial&nbsp;slur and using a&nbsp;racial&nbsp;slur has been completely erased."

"I think that's quite problematic," she told AFP.

Kaminer says the disappearance of the word from university campuses is part of a wider trend that started in the 1990s of banning other terms, including relating to sexuality and minorities.

She&nbsp;thinks the United States, where freedom of speech is enshrined in the constitution, is moving towards a more western European approach to the regulation of what people can and can't say.

For Lester, the Arizona State University professor, the answer is to talk about the word and its complex history without uttering it.

"I've had many conversations in class around the word without actually saying it," she said.&nbsp;

"That in and of itself is not a huge intellectual gymnastics routine."

The recent dismissal of a white New York professor for reading aloud the "N-word" from a Mark Twain novel has shone a spotlight on the use of racial slurs in American classrooms.

The recent dismissal of a white New York professor for reading aloud the "N-word" from a Mark Twain novel has shone a spotlight on the use of racial slurs in American classrooms. It has renewed a long-standing debate about how books from some of the United States' most famous authors should be taught during an age of reckoning with racial injustice. After years of hearing the term read from the texts of writers such as Twain and William Faulkner, students are increasingly taking a stand. "There was no reason that I should have to go to my class and hear that slur," said Dylan Gilbert recalling the time in 2019 when her white English teacher at the University of Michigan uttered the term while reciting a passage from Faulkner. Gilbert, who is Black, walked out of class. "It felt like a reminder that even though I had gotten into Michigan I would still not be afforded the same opportunity for a safe learning environment as my white peers," she told AFP. The issue came into sharp focus again last month when Hannah Berliner Fischthal, who is white, departed St. John's University in Queens, NYC. She apologized after upsetting several students by pronouncing the racial slur out loud while reading an extract from Twain's 1894 book "Pudd'nhead Wilson" -- having first explained the context for the word in Twain's text and saying she hoped it would not cause offence. The incident came after another professor, also white, this time at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania was dismissed for using the slur during a course. "The word has such a history and such a psychological-emotional impact that just hearing the word, for some people, can be disruptive," said Arizona State University English professor Neal Lester, who is Black. Derived from a Latin word, it became widely used in 18th Century America, partly to dehumanize African Americans and cast them as an inferior race. Lester says he never says the word in his classroom. Vershawn Young, a Black communications professor, takes a different view. When, in June 2020, his employer, the University of Waterloo, announced that the word was banned on campus, Young refused to adhere to the new rule. "When reading from a text, I say the word," he told AFP. "When students quote the text, they too are free to speak what they read. However, they also may replace the word with its euphemism. What they can't do is ignore it." Young says he always prepares his students that it is coming so they aren't shocked. "Outside of quotes, I do not use the word because I recognize my authority in relation to the multiple sensitivities that my students embody," he added. Censorship In an article in The Conversation last year, Young wrote that the ban on his campus censored Black professors like himself. "I belong to multiple Black communities, where we use the N-word in six or seven culturally rich ways," he wrote, adding that banning it "serves the purposes of white supremacy." In recent decades it has been culturally acceptable for Black people to use the word. It is regularly heard in discussions, movies or music, hip-hop songs being the most obvious example. "Hearing a non-black person say the N-word is always offensive and harmful to me," said Gilbert, the student who objected to her white teacher using it. Also Read | UK's former finance minister Javid appointed as health minister "(But) I have no problem with Black people saying (it). In my personal opinion the word is never violent or threatening to me when it comes out of Black person's mouth," she added. Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer and writer who used to be an American Civil Liberties Union board member, said "the distinction between quoting a racial slur and using a racial slur has been completely erased." "I think that's quite problematic," she told AFP. Kaminer says the disappearance of the word from university campuses is part of a wider trend that started in the 1990s of banning other terms, including relating to sexuality and minorities. She thinks the United States, where freedom of speech is enshrined in the constitution, is moving towards a more western European approach to the regulation of what people can and can't say. For Lester, the Arizona State University professor, the answer is to talk about the word and its complex history without uttering it. "I've had many conversations in class around the word without actually saying it," she said. "That in and of itself is not a huge intellectual gymnastics routine."

Classrooms grapple with racial slurs in classic American novels

A quick-thinking Indian origin metro train driver saved an Asian man, who was shoved onto the tracks in an apparent hate crime, according to media reports.&nbsp;

The driver, Tobin Madathil, said that he had put the train on an emergency mode after he saw the man on the tracks, managing to stop the train less than 10 metres from the victim, and went on to help him, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.&nbsp;

He told the newspaper, "I'm glad I was able to stop on time and didn't hit the guy, thank God!"&nbsp;

The Hill website called him "heroic."&nbsp;

Police told the newspaper that they were investigating the attack on the Asian man as a possible hate crime.&nbsp;

The 36-year-old man was pushed from the platform in front of the train that Madathil driving just as it was approaching the underground station on Monday.&nbsp;

Police described to the Post the alleged attacker they were searching for as a Black man and tweeted a picture of the suspect.&nbsp;

New York City has suffered an upsurge of communal violence against Asians and Jews most of them perpetrated by non-White persons. This year, till the beginning of May, there were 80 hate crime attacks on Asians in the city and 54 against Jews, according to police.&nbsp;

"Right when I was coming into the station people were waving at me, and that's when I immediately placed the train into emergency mode," Madathil, 29, who has been a driver with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for two years, told the Post.&nbsp;

"I exited the train and went to the victim. He was bleeding from the head."&nbsp;

The metro transit system is referred to as the "subway" in New York and the drivers as "operators".&nbsp;

"I just try to stay focused at all times when I operate, just watch the tracks and platform, just be alert," Madathil said.&nbsp;

The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries to the head.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A quick-thinking Indian origin metro train driver saved an Asian man, who was shoved onto the tracks in an apparent hate crime, according to media reports. The driver, Tobin Madathil, said that he had put the train on an emergency mode after he saw the man on the tracks, managing to stop the train less than 10 metres from the victim, and went on to help him, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.

A quick-thinking Indian origin metro train driver saved an Asian man, who was shoved onto the tracks in an apparent hate crime, according to media reports. The driver, Tobin Madathil, said that he had put the train on an emergency mode after he saw the man on the tracks, managing to stop the train less than 10 metres from the victim, and went on to help him, the New York Post reported on Tuesday. He told the newspaper, "I'm glad I was able to stop on time and didn't hit the guy, thank God!" The Hill website called him "heroic." Police told the newspaper that they were investigating the attack on the Asian man as a possible hate crime. The 36-year-old man was pushed from the platform in front of the train that Madathil driving just as it was approaching the underground station on Monday. Police described to the Post the alleged attacker they were searching for as a Black man and tweeted a picture of the suspect. New York City has suffered an upsurge of communal violence against Asians and Jews most of them perpetrated by non-White persons. This year, till the beginning of May, there were 80 hate crime attacks on Asians in the city and 54 against Jews, according to police. "Right when I was coming into the station people were waving at me, and that's when I immediately placed the train into emergency mode," Madathil, 29, who has been a driver with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for two years, told the Post. "I exited the train and went to the victim. He was bleeding from the head." The metro transit system is referred to as the "subway" in New York and the drivers as "operators". "I just try to stay focused at all times when I operate, just watch the tracks and platform, just be alert," Madathil said. The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries to the head. (With inputs from agencies)

'Heroic' Indian American metro train driver saves Asian man from hate crime 

An American editor of a news site in military-ruled Myanmar was detained on Monday as he attempted to take a flight out of the country, his news organisation said, the third foreign journalist held since a coup in February.&nbsp;

Danny Fenster, 37, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, one of the country's top independent news sites, was detained at the main international gateway in Yangon while preparing to fly to Malaysia, Frontier said on Twitter.&nbsp;

It said he had been transferred to Yangon's Insein Prison.&nbsp;

"We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him," Frontier Myanmar said.&nbsp;

"We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities now are to make sure he is safe and provide him with whatever assistance he needs."&nbsp;

A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer a call seeking comment.&nbsp;

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Yangon said: "We are unable to provide details due to privacy considerations."&nbsp;

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government on February 1, citing alleged fraud in an election three months earlier.&nbsp;

The intervention after 10 years of tentative democracy has sparked nationwide outrage, with daily protests and strikes that the military has struggled to suppress, despite its use of lethal force and the arrest of thousands of people.&nbsp;

Journalists have been among those held, accused of incitement by the junta, which has restricted internet access, banned satellite broadcasts and rescinded the licences of several news organisations.&nbsp;

Fenster was the third foreign journalist to be arrested since the coup after a Polish reporter and a twice-held Japanese photojournalist. Both were subsequently deported.&nbsp;

"Were absolutely stunned and extremely confused as to why Dan was detained," said Fenster's brother, Bryan, in remarks made available by Frontier Myanmar.&nbsp;

"We've been assured that there is no concern for his safety but no doubt we are very worried." &nbsp;

An American editor of a news site in military-ruled Myanmar was detained on Monday as he attempted to take a flight out of the country, his news organisation said, the third foreign journalist held since a coup in February.

An American editor of a news site in military-ruled Myanmar was detained on Monday as he attempted to take a flight out of the country, his news organisation said, the third foreign journalist held since a coup in February. Danny Fenster, 37, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, one of the country's top independent news sites, was detained at the main international gateway in Yangon while preparing to fly to Malaysia, Frontier said on Twitter. It said he had been transferred to Yangon's Insein Prison. "We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him," Frontier Myanmar said. "We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities now are to make sure he is safe and provide him with whatever assistance he needs." A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer a call seeking comment. A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Yangon said: "We are unable to provide details due to privacy considerations." Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government on February 1, citing alleged fraud in an election three months earlier. The intervention after 10 years of tentative democracy has sparked nationwide outrage, with daily protests and strikes that the military has struggled to suppress, despite its use of lethal force and the arrest of thousands of people. Journalists have been among those held, accused of incitement by the junta, which has restricted internet access, banned satellite broadcasts and rescinded the licences of several news organisations. Fenster was the third foreign journalist to be arrested since the coup after a Polish reporter and a twice-held Japanese photojournalist. Both were subsequently deported. "Were absolutely stunned and extremely confused as to why Dan was detained," said Fenster's brother, Bryan, in remarks made available by Frontier Myanmar. "We've been assured that there is no concern for his safety but no doubt we are very worried."

Myanmar news site says American editor detained from airport

At least 20 Indian-Americans will be part of the Joe Biden Administration. 2 of them trace their roots to Kashmir, 3 have joined the National Security Council, & 2 others will be in Biden's 'inner circle'. Who are they? WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Indian-Americans grab top White House positions

The history of the United States is rife with episodes of political violence far bloodier and more destructive than the one that President Donald Trump incited at the Capitol on Wednesday. Nevertheless, ignorance of a grisly past well documented by historians like W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin and Richard Hofstadter was painfully evident in the aftermath of the mob invasion of Congress. Talking heads queued up to tell the country again and again that the carnage was an aberration and “not who we are” as a people.

This willful act of forgetting — compounded by the myth of American innocence — has shown itself to be dangerous on a variety of counts. For starters, it allowed many Americans to view the president’s insistence that he had won an election in which he was actually trounced, and his simultaneous embrace of right-wing extremism, as political theater that will pass uneventfully from the stage when Joe Biden is inaugurated.

“What’s the harm in humoring him?” the argument went. “Mr. Trump will soon be gone.”

As it turns out, Republicans in Congress who played along with the ruse encouraged a mob weaned on presidential lies to believe the fiction that Trump had been robbed of a victory. The resulting invasion of the government — which has thus far reportedly taken at least five lives — should make clear to everyone that the potential for political violence is a proverbial river of gasoline, waiting for a demagogue like Trump to drop the lighted match.

The circumstances that led up to the sacking of the Capitol are reminiscent of the 19th century, when Southerners rolled back the period of Black self-determination known as Reconstruction, unleashing a reign of racial tyranny. During the November election, Trump echoed Southern white supremacists of a bygone era when he falsely asserted that there had been widespread voting fraud in majority-Black cities.

This month, a coalition of Republican senators led by Ted Cruz of Texas summoned up this blood-drenched history when they parroted the voting fraud lie and demanded that Congress appoint an electoral commission to sort out the 2020 election.

Cruz inappropriately cited as a precedent a commission created to adjudicate the election of 1876. At the time, it was unclear who had won the election; some states submitted multiple election returns, a set for the Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes, and a set for the Democrat, Samuel J. Tilden.

Cruz’s analogy was dishonest on its face, given that there is no valid dispute about electoral votes today. But by bringing up 1876, the senator unwittingly pointed to the ancestry of the voter suppression practices in which his party is heavily invested. The 1876 election, as historians Rachel Shelden and Erik B. Alexander noted this past week in The Washington Post, was riddled with bloodshed and intimidation. White terror organizations targeted African Americans throughout the South in the run-up to Election Day. In the Black stronghold of Hamburg, South Carolina, the authors write, “hundreds of gun-toting whites from South Carolina and nearby Georgia descended on the town, executing members of the militia and ransacking Black homes and shops.”

The federal government eventually withdrew the troops that were protecting Black rights in the South. This set the stage for the system of slavery by another name that persisted until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The days leading up to the mob invasion of the Capitol presented several echoes of the intricately planned coup d’état carried out against the city government of Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898. White supremacists overthrew a government that had been elected through an alliance that included African Americans and white progressives.

As Hofstadter and Michael Wallace report in “American Violence: A Documentary History,” military units poured into Wilmington from other places to assist the new regime: “African continued to cringe before Caucasian as the troops paraded the streets, as the guns barked and the bayonets flared, for a new municipal administration of the ‘White Supremacy’ persuasion.”

Untold numbers of Black citizens were killed, and well-known Wilmingtonians were banished from the city under pain of death. As was the case at the Capitol on Wednesday, the Wilmington mob was especially keen to silence journalists who had resisted the rising tide of racism. To that end, the marauders burned the Black-owned Daily Record, whose editor, Alexander Manly, fled the city.

White supremacists eventually took control of the state, bringing down the curtain on Black political participation. Given this history, it is in no way a coincidence that North Carolina remains a battleground where African Americans continue to struggle against the effects of gerrymandering and other forms of suppression.

Large and small, these violent assaults on Black self-determination continued into the 20th century. While sometimes expressly intended to destroy Black electoral power, they were just as often deployed to crush Black economic independence by destroying homes and, particularly, businesses that competed with white-owned ones in the marketplace.

Perhaps the most pointed example of such an assault was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 in Oklahoma. A white mob unleashed partly by the Tulsa police murdered at will while incinerating 35 square blocks of the Black enclave of Greenwood, reducing to ashes a muscular business strip known as the Negro Wall Street.

As historian Jelani Cobb noted in The New Yorker two months before the election, America’s record of willfully ignoring the violent suppression of Black voting rights is much more extensive than its record of protecting Black voters. While the public tends to view instances of election violence “as a static record of the past,” he wrote, “historians tend to look at them the way that meteorologists look at hurricanes: as a predictable outcome when a number of recognizable variables align in familiar ways.” As Cobb said last fall — when political violence was clearly trending upward — the metaphorical hurricane was close at hand indeed.

The mob assault on the Capitol was an outgrowth of what came before. It followed a heavily racialized campaign by a president who falsely portrayed African American cities as hot spots of voting fraud, while endearing himself to white supremacists. Republicans who subscribe to this toxic strategy deserve to be held responsible for the chaos it reaps. For shades of things to come, they need look no further than the damaged Capitol and the dead and injured who were hauled away on gurneys.

(Brent Staples is a member of The Times' editorial board.)

The history of the United States is rife with episodes of political violence far bloodier and more destructive than the one that President Donald Trump incited at the Capitol on Wednesday.

The history of the United States is rife with episodes of political violence far bloodier and more destructive than the one that President Donald Trump incited at the Capitol on Wednesday. Nevertheless, ignorance of a grisly past well documented by historians like W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin and Richard Hofstadter was painfully evident in the aftermath of the mob invasion of Congress. Talking heads queued up to tell the country again and again that the carnage was an aberration and “not who we are” as a people. This willful act of forgetting — compounded by the myth of American innocence — has shown itself to be dangerous on a variety of counts. For starters, it allowed many Americans to view the president’s insistence that he had won an election in which he was actually trounced, and his simultaneous embrace of right-wing extremism, as political theater that will pass uneventfully from the stage when Joe Biden is inaugurated. “What’s the harm in humoring him?” the argument went. “Mr. Trump will soon be gone.” As it turns out, Republicans in Congress who played along with the ruse encouraged a mob weaned on presidential lies to believe the fiction that Trump had been robbed of a victory. The resulting invasion of the government — which has thus far reportedly taken at least five lives — should make clear to everyone that the potential for political violence is a proverbial river of gasoline, waiting for a demagogue like Trump to drop the lighted match. The circumstances that led up to the sacking of the Capitol are reminiscent of the 19th century, when Southerners rolled back the period of Black self-determination known as Reconstruction, unleashing a reign of racial tyranny. During the November election, Trump echoed Southern white supremacists of a bygone era when he falsely asserted that there had been widespread voting fraud in majority-Black cities. This month, a coalition of Republican senators led by Ted Cruz of Texas summoned up this blood-drenched history when they parroted the voting fraud lie and demanded that Congress appoint an electoral commission to sort out the 2020 election. Cruz inappropriately cited as a precedent a commission created to adjudicate the election of 1876. At the time, it was unclear who had won the election; some states submitted multiple election returns, a set for the Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes, and a set for the Democrat, Samuel J. Tilden. Cruz’s analogy was dishonest on its face, given that there is no valid dispute about electoral votes today. But by bringing up 1876, the senator unwittingly pointed to the ancestry of the voter suppression practices in which his party is heavily invested. The 1876 election, as historians Rachel Shelden and Erik B. Alexander noted this past week in The Washington Post, was riddled with bloodshed and intimidation. White terror organizations targeted African Americans throughout the South in the run-up to Election Day. In the Black stronghold of Hamburg, South Carolina, the authors write, “hundreds of gun-toting whites from South Carolina and nearby Georgia descended on the town, executing members of the militia and ransacking Black homes and shops.” The federal government eventually withdrew the troops that were protecting Black rights in the South. This set the stage for the system of slavery by another name that persisted until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The days leading up to the mob invasion of the Capitol presented several echoes of the intricately planned coup d’état carried out against the city government of Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898. White supremacists overthrew a government that had been elected through an alliance that included African Americans and white progressives. As Hofstadter and Michael Wallace report in “American Violence: A Documentary History,” military units poured into Wilmington from other places to assist the new regime: “African continued to cringe before Caucasian as the troops paraded the streets, as the guns barked and the bayonets flared, for a new municipal administration of the ‘White Supremacy’ persuasion.” Untold numbers of Black citizens were killed, and well-known Wilmingtonians were banished from the city under pain of death. As was the case at the Capitol on Wednesday, the Wilmington mob was especially keen to silence journalists who had resisted the rising tide of racism. To that end, the marauders burned the Black-owned Daily Record, whose editor, Alexander Manly, fled the city. White supremacists eventually took control of the state, bringing down the curtain on Black political participation. Given this history, it is in no way a coincidence that North Carolina remains a battleground where African Americans continue to struggle against the effects of gerrymandering and other forms of suppression. Large and small, these violent assaults on Black self-determination continued into the 20th century. While sometimes expressly intended to destroy Black electoral power, they were just as often deployed to crush Black economic independence by destroying homes and, particularly, businesses that competed with white-owned ones in the marketplace. Perhaps the most pointed example of such an assault was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 in Oklahoma. A white mob unleashed partly by the Tulsa police murdered at will while incinerating 35 square blocks of the Black enclave of Greenwood, reducing to ashes a muscular business strip known as the Negro Wall Street. As historian Jelani Cobb noted in The New Yorker two months before the election, America’s record of willfully ignoring the violent suppression of Black voting rights is much more extensive than its record of protecting Black voters. While the public tends to view instances of election violence “as a static record of the past,” he wrote, “historians tend to look at them the way that meteorologists look at hurricanes: as a predictable outcome when a number of recognizable variables align in familiar ways.” As Cobb said last fall — when political violence was clearly trending upward — the metaphorical hurricane was close at hand indeed. The mob assault on the Capitol was an outgrowth of what came before. It followed a heavily racialized campaign by a president who falsely portrayed African American cities as hot spots of voting fraud, while endearing himself to white supremacists. Republicans who subscribe to this toxic strategy deserve to be held responsible for the chaos it reaps. For shades of things to come, they need look no further than the damaged Capitol and the dead and injured who were hauled away on gurneys. (Brent Staples is a member of The Times' editorial board.)

The myth of American innocence

Americans have bought nearly 17m guns so far in 2020, more than in any other single year, according to estimates from a firearms analytics company.

Americans have bought record 17m guns in year of unrest

An American citizen was kidnapped near the town of Birnin Konni in southern Niger in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

According to a Reuters report, the details of the kidnapping were not immediately clear, and no one had claimed responsibility on Tuesday morning.

Niger lies in the heart of the vast and impoverished Sahel, which is struggling with a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Birnin Konni is a few hundred miles to the east of that region, near the border with Nigeria.

Several westerners are currently hostage in the region.

They include American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was kidnapped in the central town of Abalak in October 2016 and is believed to have been taken to neighbouring Mali.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, said in September last year that he had information that Woodke was alive and in good health.

Three Europeans, including 75-year-old French NGO worker Sophie Petronin, were released by their captors in Mali earlier this month under a prisoner swap arranged by the Malian government.

(with inputs)

An American citizen was kidnapped near the town of Birnin Konni in southern Niger in the early hours of Tuesday morning. According to a Reuters report, the details of the kidnapping were not immediately clear, and no one had claimed responsibility on Tuesday morning.

An American citizen was kidnapped near the town of Birnin Konni in southern Niger in the early hours of Tuesday morning. According to a Reuters report, the details of the kidnapping were not immediately clear, and no one had claimed responsibility on Tuesday morning. Niger lies in the heart of the vast and impoverished Sahel, which is struggling with a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. Birnin Konni is a few hundred miles to the east of that region, near the border with Nigeria. Several westerners are currently hostage in the region. They include American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was kidnapped in the central town of Abalak in October 2016 and is believed to have been taken to neighbouring Mali. The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, said in September last year that he had information that Woodke was alive and in good health. Three Europeans, including 75-year-old French NGO worker Sophie Petronin, were released by their captors in Mali earlier this month under a prisoner swap arranged by the Malian government. (with inputs)

US national kidnapped in southern Niger, sources say

With a population of just about 4 million, Indian-Americans form a small yet financially affluent & politically active part of the U.S. with less than 50 days to go for the U.S. election, Indiaspora & AAPI Data have released a joint report on Indian American voters' attitude for the upcoming polls.

Fineprint: Who will Indian-American voters choose?

The English town of Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a stabbing that killed three people including an American in the latest terrorism-linked attack.

Three people were also hospitalised after a man wielding a five-inch knife went on the rampage in a park on Saturday, randomly stabbing people enjoying a sunny, summer evening.

A Western security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the suspect was a 25-year-old Libyan called Khairi Saadallah.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/reading-stabbings-libyan-refugee-khairi-saadallah-named-as-suspect-in-uk-terror-attack-307524" hreflang="en">Reading stabbings: Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah named as suspect in UK terror attack</a>

Calling the incident terrorism, police said a 25-year-old had been arrested but they were not hunting others. "What we saw here on Saturday evening in Reading was the actions of one lone individual," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said

The Philadelphia Inquirer said one of the dead was U.S. citizen Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, who had lived in Britain for 15 years. U.S. ambassador Woody Johnson sent condolences to families of victims. "To our great sorrow, this includes an American citizen," he said on Twitter&nbsp;

Teacher James Furlong, 36, who was friends with Ritchie-Bennett according to media reports, was also killed. "He was beautiful, intelligent, honest and fun," his parents said.

The third victim has not yet been identified.

ON MI5'S RADAR

The security source told Reuters that Saadallah had come across the radar of Britain's domestic security agency MI5 last year over intelligence he had aspirations to travel for extremist purposes, although his plans then came to nothing.

"The security services have records on thousands of people and rightly so," said Patel, adding she was limited in what she could say because the investigation was live.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-to-start-easing-lockdown-soon-plans-to-be-revealed-this-week-health-minister-307498" hreflang="en">UK to start easing lockdown soon; plans to be revealed this week: Health Minister</a>

Shocked residents of Reading, about 40 miles (65 km) west of London, held a minute's silence at 0900 GMT.

The attack was reminiscent of some recent incidents in Britain that authorities also called terrorism.

In February, police shot dead a man, previously jailed for promoting violent Islamist material, who had stabbed two people on a busy street in south London. Last November, another man who had been jailed for terrorism offences stabbed two people to death on London Bridge before he too was shot dead by police.

The English town of Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a stabbing that killed three people including an American in the latest terrorism-linked attack.

The English town of Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a stabbing that killed three people including an American in the latest terrorism-linked attack. Three people were also hospitalised after a man wielding a five-inch knife went on the rampage in a park on Saturday, randomly stabbing people enjoying a sunny, summer evening. A Western security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the suspect was a 25-year-old Libyan called Khairi Saadallah. Also read: Reading stabbings: Libyan refugee Khairi Saadallah named as suspect in UK terror attack Calling the incident terrorism, police said a 25-year-old had been arrested but they were not hunting others. "What we saw here on Saturday evening in Reading was the actions of one lone individual," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said The Philadelphia Inquirer said one of the dead was U.S. citizen Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, who had lived in Britain for 15 years. U.S. ambassador Woody Johnson sent condolences to families of victims. "To our great sorrow, this includes an American citizen," he said on Twitter Teacher James Furlong, 36, who was friends with Ritchie-Bennett according to media reports, was also killed. "He was beautiful, intelligent, honest and fun," his parents said. The third victim has not yet been identified. ON MI5'S RADAR The security source told Reuters that Saadallah had come across the radar of Britain's domestic security agency MI5 last year over intelligence he had aspirations to travel for extremist purposes, although his plans then came to nothing. "The security services have records on thousands of people and rightly so," said Patel, adding she was limited in what she could say because the investigation was live. Also read: UK to start easing lockdown soon; plans to be revealed this week: Health Minister Shocked residents of Reading, about 40 miles (65 km) west of London, held a minute's silence at 0900 GMT. The attack was reminiscent of some recent incidents in Britain that authorities also called terrorism. In February, police shot dead a man, previously jailed for promoting violent Islamist material, who had stabbed two people on a busy street in south London. Last November, another man who had been jailed for terrorism offences stabbed two people to death on London Bridge before he too was shot dead by police.

Britain reels from latest terrorism-linked stabbing, American among dead

A man in Australia's New South Wales has been charged in an apparent gay hate crime that happened almost 30 years ago.

Scott Price, 49, has been charged with murdering a 27-year-old Johnson in 1988.

The body of Sydney-based American mathematician Scott Johnson was found dead at the bottom of the North Head cliffs in Manly in 1988. The police, in the first inquest, ruled it a suicide. The second inquest, in June 2012, returned an open finding.

The third inquest, in 2017, found that Johnson fell from the clifftop as the result of violence by an unidentified attacker who perceived him to be gay.

Police said the man was was refused bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

A 2018 police review of 88 suspicious deaths from 1976 to 2000 revealed that 27 men were likely murdered for their homosexuality by gangs.

A man in Australia's New South Wales has been charged in an apparent gay hate crime that happened almost 30 years ago. Scott Price, 49, has been charged with murdering a 27-year-old Johnson in 1988.

A man in Australia's New South Wales has been charged in an apparent gay hate crime that happened almost 30 years ago. Scott Price, 49, has been charged with murdering a 27-year-old Johnson in 1988. The body of Sydney-based American mathematician Scott Johnson was found dead at the bottom of the North Head cliffs in Manly in 1988. The police, in the first inquest, ruled it a suicide. The second inquest, in June 2012, returned an open finding. The third inquest, in 2017, found that Johnson fell from the clifftop as the result of violence by an unidentified attacker who perceived him to be gay. Police said the man was was refused bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. A 2018 police review of 88 suspicious deaths from 1976 to 2000 revealed that 27 men were likely murdered for their homosexuality by gangs.

Australian charged in gay hate crime in 1988 death of American man

February 21 in History: NASCAR is founded, The Communist Manifesto published, and more!

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