Author: admin

A court in Moscow on Wednesday convicted one of the leaders of a prominent independent election monitoring group on charges of organizing the work of an “undesirable” organization and sentenced him to five years in prison.Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia’s leading election watchdog Golos, has rejected the charges as politically motivated. The case against him is part of the monthslong crackdown on Kremlin critics and rights activists that the government ratcheted up after invading Ukraine in 2022. After a judge of the Basmanny District Court delivered the verdict, Melkonyants, 44, told several dozen supporters and journalists from the glass defendant’s…

Facebook Tweet Email Link You may recognize 2024’s 20 most popular baby names — nearly all of them have appeared in the rankings before. Liam and Olivia were the most popular baby names in 2024, a position both names have held since 2019, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which releases the yearly name rankings. Since 2019, both the top 10 boys’ and girls’ rankings have remained fairly steady — Noah reliably comes in second for boys, and Emma hovers around the top three for girls. The order varies slightly from year to year, but no new names appeared…

Immigration officers at Gatwick’s border control. Stefan Rousseau – PA Images | PA Images | Getty Images British businesses are warning the U.K. government that plans to tighten immigration rules on foreign workers — and to instead train and recruit more British personnel — will lead to labor shortages in key sectors.The British government on Monday announced plans to cut migration to the U.K., tightening the rules on who can come to work, study and live in the country.The proposals raise English-language requirements for migrants, as well as the skills and level of education they need to obtain work visas.…

IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Here’s a guide that tells you what you need to know about Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. It’s the seventh round of the 2025 Formula 1 season.How to watch the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on TV— In the U.S., on ESPN.— Other countries are listed here. What is the Emilia-Romagna GP schedule?— Friday: First and second practice sessions.— Saturday: Third practice and qualifying.— Sunday: Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, 63 laps on the 4.91-kilometer (3.05-mile) Imola circuit. Starts at 9 a.m. ET (1300 GMT).Where is the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix taking place?The Imola circuit — officially the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e…

Jabalia, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 22 children were killed in Gaza overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday in a punishing series of Israeli airstrikes on homes in northern Gaza, according to local hospitals.The strikes killed at least 48 people, the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya reported. The strikes came a day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered by the United States, and as President Donald Trump was visiting Saudi Arabia.It was unclear of the numbers would increase. Palestinians mourn children from their families who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip,…

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission was wrong to refuse The New York Times access to text messages sent between President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic.The case highlights ongoing questions about transparency at the commission, which insists that text messages and other “ephemeral” electronic communications do not necessarily constitute documents of interest that should be saved or made public.“Today’s decision is a victory for transparency and accountability in the European Union, and it sends a powerful message that ephemeral communications are not beyond the reach…

CNN  —  President Donald Trump would plainly like America to be more like the Gulf states he’s touring on the first big foreign trip of his new term. He got a purple-carpeted welcome fit for a king in Saudi Arabia from Mohammed bin Salman, the ruthless and modernizing crown prince, that outstripped the showers of personal adulation from his top officials back home. More spectacle is on tap in Qatar Wednesday after Trump lands in his aging Air Force One jet – rather than the newer 747-8 his hosts want to gift him. “We’ve launched the Golden Age of America,”…

Family offices are set to grow at a rapid pace as the ultra-rich look for personalized services to handle their wealth. But they are struggling to find money managers.  As of last September, there were 8,030 family offices globally managing $3.1 trillion in assets, according to Deloitte’s recent statistics. By 2030, the number of family offices is expected to grow to 10,720 with $5.4 trillion in assets under their management.”We estimate that by 2034, at current advisor productivity levels, the [wealth] advisor workforce will decline to the point where the industry faces a shortage of roughly 100,000 advisors,” McKinsey said…

Dhaka, Bangladesh AP  —  Bangladesh’s Election Commission has cancelled the registration of the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, preventing it from participating in the next national election, which is expected to be held by June next year. The decision on Monday came hours after the country’s interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus issued an official notification banning the Awami League party and its affiliated bodies from conducting activities online and elsewhere. Monday’s formal notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs was issued two days after the interim Cabinet decided to ban all…

New York CNN  —  Shoppers got a little relief this week from a giant tariff on previously cheap, duty-free goods from China. But the tariffs that do remain are still poised to derail the shopping habits of millions of Americans who shop at ultra-low-priced e-commerce sites like Shein and Temu. The Trump administration has cut its tariff on “de minimis” packages, or shipments of goods worth $800 or less, coming in from China from 120% to 54% and slashed the rate from 145% to 30% for packages from commercial carriers. A $100 flat-fee option also won’t surge to $200 per…