Debt-Limit Deal Faces Final Test in Congress to Avert US Default
The debt-limit agreement forged by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy heads into a crucial final
1970-01-01 08:00
Suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance case severely beaten in Peru prison
Joran van der Sloot, a convicted killer and the prime suspect in the Natalee Holloway case, has been attacked in the Peruvian prison where he is currently being held, his lawyer said. Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of the American teenager and is awaiting extradition to the US. His lawyer Maximo Altez told ABC News on Monday that the Dutch man is in the medical wing of a Peruvian prison after he was beaten. He said the beating was not related to the upcoming extradition. Mr Altez claimed the beating might have been connected to gang rules inside the Challapalca Prison in Peru. The 35-year-old Dutch national is currently serving a 28-year-long prison sentence for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores in Lima and is the prime suspect in the disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway. Van der Sloot once claimed he shoved Holloway so hard to the ground that she hit her head on a rock and died, according to court papers. Holloway had disappeared on the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005 during a trip to celebrate her high school graduation. A judge declared her legally dead in 2012. “Van der Sloot went on to admit that he had been with Natalee on the night of May 29/30, 2005, and that he had thrown her to the ground after she had attempted to stop him from leaving her,” stated a federal affidavit cited by Fox News. “Van der Sloot claimed that when she fell down, she hit her head on a rock and died as a result of the impact.” Federal prosecutors said Van der Sloot claimed his father had helped him hide the body, but when he took the lawyer to the alleged location, there was no sign of Holloway. After the lawyer left the island, Van der Sloot allegedly told him that he had lied about the location. Van der Sloot was indicted on extortion and wire fraud charges in federal court in Alabama in 2010 in connection with a scheme to get money from her family in return for the location of her body. But the same year, he was also convicted of murdering a 21-year-old student Flores after meeting her at her father’s casino in Lima, Peru. Van der Sloot will temporarily be sent to the US to go on trial for the extortion charges before being sent back to Peru. If convicted in Alabama, he would return to the US in 2038 to serve an 40 additional years in a US prison. “I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life for 18 years, and as of this month, I have been without her for exactly 18 years. She would be 36 years old now,” the teen’s mother, Beth Holloway, said earlier this month in a statement. “It has been a very long and painful journey, but the persistence of many is going to pay off. Together, we are finally getting justice for Natalee.” Read More Joran van der Sloot once confessed to shoving Natalee Holloway’s head into rock, court docs reveal A missing Alabama teen. A dead Peruvian student. Will Joran van der Sloot finally face American justice? Timeline of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance as prime suspect faces extradition
1970-01-01 08:00
Crackdown on vape adverts targeting kids – what parents can do
The Government is cracking down on vape marketing targeted towards children and young people, Rishi Sunak has said. The news comes days after the Prime Minister spoke about his concerns his own daughters would potentially be targeted by vape marketing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. Ministers have now pledged to close a loophole allowing retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England, amid concerns over the proportion of children trying e-cigarettes. There will also be a review into banning retailers selling “nicotine-free” vapes to under-18s, and the Government will look at the rules on issuing fines to shops that illegally sell vapes to children. The Prime Minister said he was “deeply concerned” about an increase in children vaping and was “shocked by reports of illicit vapes containing lead getting into the hands of schoolchildren”. Sunak said: “That is why I am taking further action today to clamp down on rogue firms who unlawfully target our children with these products. “The marketing and the illegal sales of vapes to children is completely unacceptable and I will do everything in my power to end this practice for good.” Why is vaping bad for children’s health? “We could argue vaping doesn’t have the amount of toxins cigarettes have – up to 70 of these cause cancer – but vaping is not completely harmless,” says GP Dr Anita Raja. “It’s very important to protect your organs, especially your lungs and brain. Vaping can be particularly detrimental to people under the age of 18 who are still developing.” Most vapes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can cause can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries. “It can become very difficult to get off the nicotine – so why would you want to be addicted at such a young age?” Raja asks. The other problem with vaping is that experts don’t yet fully understand the long-term risks because it’s such a new phenomenon, she adds. “Let’s not forget when cigarettes were introduced many decades ago we didn’t know that they could cause cancers and long-term irreversible lung damage.” How to talk to your children “First up, learn about the facts of vaping yourself. Get information from a reliable source,” says parenting expert Liat Hughes Joshi, author of Help Your Child Cope With Change. “So that when you do end up discussing this with your teenager you’re coming at it from a place of knowledge and you’ll feel more confident.” The conversation could be tricky, so approach it calmly. She advises: “Choose your time in place carefully. Don’t pounce on your teenager when they’re in the middle of something or when they are stressed about an exam. Choose a time where you’re both feeling relatively relaxed.” “Instead of telling them not to, what you are much better doing is giving them that information about the real risks and the downsides of vaping, so that they can hopefully make a decision of their own which is the right decision,” Hughes Joshi says. “It’s definitely worth talking to them about ideas around [peer pressure] and giving them the confidence to push back and say, ‘I don’t have to copy all my peers if they are vaping’.” Similarly, if you know or suspect that your child has already vaped, try not to fly off the handle. “Don’t automatically scold them,” says private GP Dr Suhail Hussain. “Find out why they tried it, and then listen. Be understanding and informative, not angry and disappointed that they would do this in the first place.” What about if you vape yourself but don’t want your child to follow suit? “We need to lead by example,” says Raja, who believes vaping should be used only as a way for adults to quit smoking. “It is almost impossible to convince your children to not vape if they see you doing it. If you don’t want your child to vape, then you shouldn’t vape, or certainly not vape in front of them.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How to make a small garden feel bigger How not to get ripped off when upgrading your kitchen The best scented plants to enhance your balmy summer evenings
1970-01-01 08:00
Insurance Group Loses More Members After GOP Attacks on ESG
Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest insurer by market value, is withdrawing from the Net Zero Insurance Alliance,
1970-01-01 08:00
Trump news – live: Trump shares furious Memorial Day post on Truth Social as Cheney rebukes fellow Republicans
Donald Trump marked Memorial Day with a furious Truth Social message that briefly noted the reason for the holiday before descending into one of his usual rants. In all caps, the ex-president ranted: “Happy memorial day to all, but especially to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country they love, and to those in line of a very different, but equally dangerous fire, stopping the threats of the terrorists, misfits and lunatic thugs who are working feverishly from within to overturn and destroy our once great country, which has never been in greater peril than it is right now. We must stop the communists, marxists and fascist ‘pigs’ at every turn and, make america great again!” It comes after Mr Trump slammed Disney and his main rival in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, claiming that he’s responsible for the entertainment giant becoming “woke”. Earlier in the weekend, he railed against members of the Texas state legislature who voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton on charges of corruption. The impeachment effort was led by Republicans, whom Mr Trump branded “RINOS” (Republicans in name only). Read More Biden laughs off idea of Trump pardon after DeSantis pledges to consider it Trump has been indicted: Here are the other major lawsuits and investigations he is also facing Liz Cheney explains how GOP begged her to lie about Trump
1970-01-01 08:00
Malaysia Says 1MDB Fugitive Jho Low in Macau: Al Jazeera
Malaysia believes financier Low Taek Jho is hiding in Macau, along with others wanted in the multibillion ringgit
1970-01-01 08:00
Arnold Schwarzenegger confirms he is 'out' of Expendables 4: 'Stallone really understood'
Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed he will not reprise his 'Expendables' role as Trench Mauser in the fourth film in the franchise.
1970-01-01 08:00
Sam Smith teases 'special' collaboration with Brazilian pop star Anitta
Sam Smith and Anitta are yet to unveil their collaboration.
1970-01-01 08:00
Dozens of NATO Soldiers Hurt in Kosovo in Clash With Serbs
Violence escalated in northern Kosovo, where local Serb protesters clashed with police and later with NATO-led peacekeepers, leaving
1970-01-01 08:00
Nvidia CEO Gets Rock Star Reception in Taiwan With AI Stock Surge
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of chip phenom Nvidia Corp., made the case at an appearance in Taiwan
1970-01-01 08:00
Bitcoin Discount Emerges on Binance Australia Ahead of Payment Cutoff
Bitcoin and other digital tokens were trading at a discount on Binance Australia versus rival exchanges in the
1970-01-01 08:00
Buyout Firm Apollo to Buy UK’s United Living Through Impact Fund
Apollo Global Management Inc. is buying United Living, a UK provider of maintenance and construction services focused on
1970-01-01 08:00
