Western firms have supplied critical components for Turkish drones
By Lena Masri and Amina Ismail Turkey has escalated its use of airstrikes in its fight against the
2023-10-10 18:53
For HBCUs, the bands are about much more than the show to the Black community: 'This is family'
The famous marching bands at historically Black colleges and universities have been putting on their must-watch shows for decades
2023-09-13 00:19
Australia offers to help Tuvalu residents escape rising seas and other ravages of climate change
Australia is offering the island nation of Tuvalu a lifeline to help residents escape the rising seas and increased storms that climate change is bringing
2023-11-11 10:56
Ford Explorer recall prompts Transportation Department investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a Ford Motor Co. recall of more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. The probe comes after the administration received complaints about repairs intended to prevent the vehicles from unexpectedly rolling away even while placed in park
2023-06-25 05:58
Texas congresswoman slams Greg Abbott’s ‘cruel and inhumane’ floating razor barriers at border
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus criticised Texas governor Greg Abbott for deploying “cruel and inhumane” tactics like razor-tipped buoys as part of his controversial effort to lock down the US-Mexico border. “Today was eye-opening,” Rep Sylvia Garcia of Texas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing a video of orange buoys used in the Rio Grande which are separated with blade saw-like barbed disks. “Seeing the barbaric, inhumane, and ungodly practices in my home state of Texas. This is beyond politics and crosses a line into human rights violations.” “Everyone needs to see what I saw in Eagle Pass today,” said Texas congressman Joaquin Castro in his own dispatch from the border. “Clothing stuck on razor wire where families got trapped. Chainsaw devices in the middle of buoys. Land seized from US citizens. Operation Lone Star is barbaric — and Governor Abbott is making border communities collateral damage.” The Texas governor has insisted that the buoys and razor wire he’s installed across the border between the state and Mexico will save lives by deterring migration. However, as The Independent has reported, advocates and Texas troopers are warning the tools are already putting people at risk. In July, a Texas state border medic named Nicholas Wingate went public with allegations that the border barriers were already causing severe injuries, and that he and his fellow troopers were ordered, as part of the governor’s Operation Lone Star, to push exhausted migrants back into the river and refuse to offer them water. (The state denies this order existed.) “I believe we have stepped over a line into the inhumane,” he told his superiors, in messages shared with media outlets. Last week, Mexican officials informed the state of Texas that two bodies were found in the Rio Grande: one ensnared in Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial floating border wall, and another in a nearby area. Critics allege the border build-up cause these deaths, though the cause of death for the two people found hasn’t been determined yet. Despite years of border security installations and billions invested across multiple state and federal administrations, migration continues to increase, hitting a record in December. “It’s been proven time after time that these so-called prevention through deterrence strategies don’t work,” Fernando García of the Border Network for Human Rights told The Independent last month. “They have not stopped immigration flows, but what they have done is they have put immigrants at risk.” “It’s very likely that with [the floating buoy wall] they are looking for more remote and isolated places to come across so that whenever they are in danger by heat exhaustion, by drowning, they will not have anybody to help them,” he added, saying he worries it could be a record year for migrant deaths in the Rio Grande. Members of Congress and human rights activists aren’t the only ones taking issue with the border barriers. Last month, a local kayak guide in Eagle Pass named Jessie Fuentes sued the state, arguing it doesn’t have authority to erect a floating border barrier in the Rio Grande. “You’ve taken a beautiful waterway and you’ve converted it into a war zone,” he toldThe Independent. The Department of Justice has also sued the state, arguing it violated federal waterways laws. Texas has insisted it has legal authority to carry out such measures, some of which it argues are allowed under a controversial reading of the US Constitution granting states war powers when theyr’e under invasion. Legal experts told The Independent this is a mistaken reading of the clause, which was intended to cover invasion by military forces, not regular immigration by civilians. “The theory that Abbott is relying on here is that the influx of undocumented individuals is an actual invasion. That also doesn’t pass muster,” Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center’s Liberty & National Security Program, told The Independent. Read More How governor Greg Abbott is using an obscure ‘invasion’ legal theory for a border power grab in Texas Republicans and Democrats agree: They want to kill migrants at the US-Mexico border Buoys, razor wire, and a Trump-y wall: How Greg Abbott turned the Rio Grande into an immigration ‘war zone’ After a glacial dam outburst destroyed homes in Alaska, a look at the risks of melting ice masses District attorney threatens to charge officials in California's capital over homelessness response Judge is asked to block Florida law making it a crime to drive people who are in the US illegally
2023-08-09 09:28
Man held after three killed in UK's Nottingham
Police arrested a man Tuesday after three people were found dead and a van tried to mow down three others in the central English city of Nottingham...
2023-06-13 20:15
Severe rainstorm triggers flooding in central Greece, 1 man dies. Police order a traffic ban
Greek police have ordered vehicles off the streets of the central town of Volos and the nearby mountain region of Pilion as a severe storm has hit the area, turning streets into flooded torrents
2023-09-05 17:29
Stocks gain, oil falls, traders focus on rates outlook
By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON European stock indexes rose on Monday as investors focused on the outlook for interest
2023-10-30 20:27
Nearly 100 die as India struggles with a sweltering heat wave in 2 most populous states
Indian officials say at least 96 people have died in two of the most populous states over the last several days with swaths of the country reeling from scorching heat
2023-06-18 21:55
Trump and several co-defendants expected to negotiate bond terms with Fulton County DA's office Monday
Former President Donald Trump and several co-defendants in the sweeping Georgia racketeering case are expected to work out the terms of their bond Monday with the Fulton County district attorney's office, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
2023-08-22 02:57
Chinese company gives leftover hotpot oil second life as jet fuel
At an upmarket restaurant in the hotpot-loving Chinese city of Chengdu, diners plunge sliced meat and vegetables into cauldrons of spicy, oily broth, largely unaware that their leftovers are set to take...
2023-11-21 14:20
Historic drought, hot seas slow Panama Canal shipping
By Lisa Baertlein and Marianna Parraga LOS ANGELES/HOUSTON Before the Ever Max ship carrying lava lamps, sofas, Halloween
2023-08-21 18:23
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