The Swedish pension fund embroiled in the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank this spring has been reported to

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 23, 2023--

The trial of the former school resource officer who remained outside a Parkland, Florida, high school five years ago while 17 people were gunned down inside is scheduled to begin in earnest Wednesday, as the jury hears prosecutors and defense attorneys give their opening statements.

Rookie Brandon Pfaadt pitched shutout ball for the second time in three starts, and the Arizona Diamondbacks moved closer to an NL wild card berth by beating the Chicago White Sox 3-0 for their eighth win in 10 games

After a disappointing 2022/23 Premier League campaign, which saw Tottenham finish eighth in the table, significant changes are taking place around the club. Having sacked manager Antonio Conte in late March, results only got worse after his departure. Former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has been entrusted with the task of revitalising Spurs and will be assessing a new squad to achieve this goal. Heading into the transfer window, the club appeared keen to address three major issues: an attacking midfielder, a centre-back and a goalkeeper. With the £40 million signing of James Maddison from recently relegated Leicester City, it seems they have resolved one one of those issues, while signing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli in Serie A, for a reported fee of £17.2m, solves another. Meanwhile the club remains in the news for departures too - and once again superstar Harry Kane finds himself surrounded by transfer rumors. Here’s all the latest regarding Spurs. Harry Kane After months of speculation about Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer, Harry Kane, potentially leaving the club, it would not be surprising if the superstar Englishman ultimately remained. The long-standing rumours of Kane possibly joining Manchester United were put to rest when club chairman Daniel Levy decided not to allow the transfer to a domestic rival. Subsequently, Real Madrid emerged as the next potential destination. However, the Spanish club swiftly realised that they could not afford the substantial price tag associated with Kane, particularly after already spending £88m on Jude Bellingham. This has resulted in Bayern Munich emerging as the sole remaining suitor in the market, but the two clubs seem to have a significant gap in their valuation of the transfer fee. According to German newspaper Bild, Kane and the German side have reached an agreement on personal terms. However, the £60 million offer made by Bayern, as reported by Sky Sports appears to fall well short. Despite the current disparity, Sky reports that Bayern is planning to return with a revised offer in the coming days. Tottenham maintains their stance of not wanting to sell Kane, and according to the Evening Standard, would require an offer in the range of £100m to even consider a deal. Hugo Lloris French national and Tottenham captain, Hugo Lloris, appears to be on the verge of departing the club after an eleven-year tenure. Lloris revealed to the French outlet Nice-Martin that: "We have reached an important moment, whether it be for the club or me. It’s the end of an era. I have a desire for something else. I will carefully study what is possible.” With the new signing of Guglielmo Vicario, Lloris’ departure seems all but set in stone. Although limited information has been disclosed about Lloris’ destination, it is safe to assume that his future lies away from White Hart Lane. Mickey van de Ven The Dutch centre-back Mickey van de Ven has appeared as one Tottenham’s three main centre-back targets. The 22-year-old van de Ven currently plays for Bundesliga side, Wolfsburg, who Fabrizio Romano has reported have been in touch with Tottenham. Van de Ven appeared in 36 matches across the Bundesliga and German Cup this past year and according to the Daily Mail is set to require a fee in the range of £26m. Van de Ven would be a great addition for the North London club that needs defensive reinforcements. Edmond Tapsoba Edmond Tapsoba has emerged as another key target for Tottenham in their pursuit of a centre-back. The 24-year-old Burkina Faso native currently plays in the Bundesliga for Xabi Alonso’s side Bayer Leverkusen. Tapsoba gained valuable experience this season, featuring prominently in both the Champions League and Europa League, accumulating a total of 47 appearances. His impressive performances have caught the attention of Tottenham as they seek to bolster their defensive options. Spurs may not be the sole Premier League side enticed by Tapsoba, as per the Daily Mail, Liverpool are also reportedly interested. Tosin Adarabioyo Tosin Adarabioyo, a player from fellow London club Fulham, seems to be another potential centre-back target for Spurs. According to the Evening Standard, a new contract agreement between Fulham and Adarabioyo has fallen through, and with only one year remaining on his current deal, it appears likely that he may leave Craven Cottage. However, Spurs face competition in their pursuit of Adarabioyo, as Ligue 1 clubs Monaco and Rennes are reportedly interested in the English international as well. While Adarabioyo is said to prioritise sporting opportunities over domestic location, Spurs remain actively involved in the race for the talented defender. Read More Harry Kane builds new family home near Chelsea training ground Arsenal winning race for Rice but Bayern face uphill struggle to capture Kane Rumours: New Harry Kane bid and Hammers target trio including Maguire Tottenham complete James Maddison signing in £40m deal Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid Kane must take Bayern transfer chance - and so should Spurs

A far-right activist who led the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon now must pay millions of dollars in damages after a hospital in Idaho won a defamation lawsuit against them

There will not be a Valorant Night Market in September 2023. The next Valorant Night Market will be in October 2023 and last for about three weeks.

Ilkay Gundogan explains why he joined Barcelona from Man City & believes he must prove himself to a new audience.

An elementary school teacher has divided opinion on social media after she was filmed giving a young pupil “birthday spankings”. The clip, which has been shared across TikTok, shows the woman beaming as she brandishes a large, wooden ruler and the boy braces for impact. The child is smiling, too, as he clutches the table, and she swings her makeshift paddle. Thankfully, the teacher stops before making contact, as she repeats a swing for each year of his life. Pranks and peculiar traditions are a quirk of the festivities across the world, with almost every culture having their own special rites and rituals. Bumps, “punches” and other torments have long been a celebrated part of the festivities, as have “spankings”. The North American tradition sees the birthday boy or girl receive the number of hits that corresponds to their age, plus “one to grow on”. @noahglenncarter People are upset with this teacher for giving a student birthday spankings #foryou #teacher #birthday Numerous TikTok commentators pointed out that they’d received the same treatment at the hands of their teachers while in school, though not everyone remembered the custom fondly. Search “birthday spankings” on the platform and you’ll see a number of videos dedicated to people’s realisation that the whole thing is a bit… creepy. @queenkoppes #stitch with @smithfulteaching The 90s were a different time. #teachersoftiktok @mackenzig__ i thought this was a fever dream or smth for the longest time until someone told me they saw it too Still, plenty of TikTokers have also laughed the whole thing off or pointed to similarly bizarre conventions that they’d fallen prey to. “This is a family tradition for me,” one wrote. “We all got and gave each other birthday spankings. It’s just a fun thing.” “My Spanish teacher pulls ears for birthday,” added another, explaining that it was “her culture’s tradition”. However, influencer Noah Glenn Carter pointed out that some traditions simply don’t age well, and plenty of people would file a complaint with the school if this happened to their kid. “So far it doesn't seem like any action has been taken against the teacher, which I think is fine because she probably didn't mean anything by this,” he said in a commentary on the clip. But, he added: “If I was a teacher, the last thing you would see me doing is giving out birthday spankings to students. “Because even if I was just doing it to be funny, people could see it in a very different light.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

When a draft of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade leaked in May of last year, US Senator Tina Smith had only three words. “This is bulls***,” the Minnesota Democrat tweeted. She had similar words when Walgreens announced in March of this year it would not dispense abortion pills in states where abortion remained legal. Ms Smith told The Independent in a phone interview that she knew the consequences of overturning the enshrined constitutional right to seek an abortion from her time working at Planned Parenthood as the Minnesota branch’s executive vice president for external affairs. She said her time working there taught her about the effects restrictions have on women’s lives. “The first thing I realized is that for women facing a decision about what to do about an unplanned pregnancy, a pregnancy that they don't want, this is a purely personal decision for them,” she said. “As a policymaker, why do Republicans in the Senate and in state legislators around the country think that they know better than those women whose stories they'll never know? Why do they think that they should be the ones who decide? It’s those women's decisions.” Ms Smith said that the Dobbs decision has led to rooting the question of abortion rights in terms of personal freedom. “You know, they can see this, these stories of individuals and doctors that are trying to provide the best health care, get the best health care for people, and you know, they unable to do that and they can see that that's just wrong,” she said. Sen Smith arrived under peculiar circumstances after then-Governor Mark Dayton nominated her, while she was serving as lieutenant governor of Minnesota, to replace Sen Al Franken amid multiple allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Similarly, she has often been overshadowed by Minnesota’s senior Democratic Sen Amy Klobuchar, who ran for president. She and fellow midwestern Democratic Sen Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin, have a running joke that reporters and Capitol Hill staff often confuse them. In the past year, Sen Smith has emerged as a stronger presence. She wrote some of the climate provisions in what would become the Inflation Reduction Act. When Sen John Fetterman (D-PA) left the Senate for a few weeks to undergo treatment for depression, she spoke about her own difficulties with the condition. In addition, she’s emerged as one of the strongest voices defending abortion rights. Ms Smith said the Dobbs decision has made the contrast between Democrats and Republicans clearer. In recent months, Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has blocked military nominations because of the Pentagon’s policy that reimburses people who travel out of state to receive abortions. “What Senator Tuberville is doing is so outside the norms of what we should be doing in the Senate, it's outrageous,” she said. “I just need to point out that what Senator Tuberville is trying to do is to overturn a policy which basically provides women serving in the military with the same access to health care that people that are incarcerated in our federal prisons have.” Few Republicans seem deterred from their opposition to abortion despite the role it played in dulling their efforts to flip the Senate last year. Ms Smith’s colleague Sen Tim Scott (R-SC), now a candidate for president, told the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference last month “thank God almighty for the Dobbs decision.” Former vice president Mike Pence has called for a 15-week national abortion ban. Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump has campaigned as the president who nominated the three Supreme Court justices who made the decision possible. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who often places a second distant behind Mr Trump in polls, signed legislation banning abortion after six weeks. As vice chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Ms Smith faces a tough challenge because not only does she have to defend Senate seats in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada – all of which President Joe Biden won in 2020 – she also has to defend Senate seats in three states Mr Trump won twice: Ohio, Montana and West Virginia. “And make no mistake, if Republicans win the Senate or if Republicans win the White House, we can see from their statements, they're going to move to pass a national ban on abortion,” she said, noting how many GOP candidates for Senate oppose abortion. “So, this is the contrast, this is what voters will be confronted with when they cast their votes in 2024,” she said. “Do you want to elect individuals who think they know better, that they should be the ones making decisions, individuals that want to ban abortion rights? Or do you want to elect Democrats who believe that women and not politicians should be making their own health care decisions?” At the same time, Democrats face huge challenges to codify abortion rights. Last week, Mr Biden told donors he was personally uncomfortable with abortion. “I'm a practising Catholic,” he said on Tuesday. “I'm not big on abortion, but guess what? Roe v Wade got it right.” Sen Smith defended Mr Biden’s actions defending abortion rights. “I believe that the President and the administration have moved decisively in all the ways that they can as they look for other ways to the practical reproductive freedom, that's a good thing,” she said. “I'm proud of the work that they've done. I think ultimately, the action that we need to take is legislative action, and that is why we need to win these elections.” Last year, shortly after the Dobbs leak, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tried to put the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have codified the protections in Roe, to a vote. But Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) opposed the measure. Even then, Sen Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who later left the Democratic Party to become an independent, opposes removing the filibuster, which demands a two-thirds majority to pass legislation. Sen Smith said if Democrats with the House, the Senate and the White House again, they should get rid of the filibuster. “And you know, we need to work towards a Senate majority that will not only support reproductive freedom but will also change Senate rules so that we can act on that belief,” she said. “And that I think is going to as I said before, that I believe will be a decisive issue in the in the elections in 2024.” Read More Congresswoman who authored abortion rights bill calls Senate’s inaction to codify Roe v Wade ‘such a crime’ Ritchie Torres, the only openly gay Black man in Congress, on how he fights GOP ‘bullying’ of LGBT+ people Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion on anniversary of the death of Roe 'Rage giving' prompted by the end of Roe has dropped off, abortion access groups say Arizona executive order safeguards abortion seekers and providers from prosecution Why some doctors stay in US states with restrictive abortion laws and others leave

By Arathy Somasekhar and Trixie Yap SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices surged by almost 1% on Wednesday, trading near their highest