Mother of Aliyah Jaico files lawsuit after child's death ruled accidental drowning and mechanical asphyxiaPolice in Houston are investigating the death of an eight-year-old girl whose body was found inside a large pipe for a lazy river at a Houston hotel where she had been swimming with her family.Aliyah Jaico's death on Saturday was ruled an accidental drowning by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. It said she died from drowning and mechanical asphyxia, when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing. Her autopsy report is pending. Continue reading...
US-based International Paper puts in 5.7bn takeover proposal for DS Smith, gatecrashing Mondi offerAn international bidding war is brewing for the UK packaging company DS Smith after a US-based paper producer put forward a 5.7bn takeover proposal, gatecrashing a deal it had agreed with the British rival Mondi.DS Smith confirmed it was now in talks with International Paper, the largest paper and pulp company in the world, over an all-stock offer, which would trump the 5.14bn deal put forward by Mondi earlier this month. Continue reading...
by Annina van Neel Peggy King Jorde Mike Brett Joseph on (#6KN6P)
The remote island of St Helena, a British overseas territory, is best known for Napoleon's tomb - the island's biggest tourist attraction. However, while overseeing the construction of a long-awaited airport on the island, Annina van Neel learns that the remains of thousands of formerly enslaved Africans have been uncovered, unearthing one of the most significant physical remaining traces of the transatlantic slave trade in the world.Annina decides to advocate for this legacy, initiating a debate among the islanders - many of whom have shared ancestry with the enslaved -about how to create an appropriate memorial.Along the way, she enlists the help of African American preservationist and veteran activist Peggy King Jorde, who makes important connections in their shared history.Buried is available with Swahili and isiZulu translated subtitles which can be applied in the video settings. Continue reading...
The Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle website will sell fancy goods at fancy prices. But is she really ready to compete with Goop's vagina candles?You know what the world really needs? More luxury marmalade options. Luckily, the Duchess of Sussex has it covered. As you may have heard, Meghan is launching a new lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard (ARO). Details are still hush-hush, but the trademark applications cover everything from pet-related accessories and homeware to marmalade and jam. She is going to sell fancy things toaspirationally fancy people.It was always likely that Meghan would move in this direction. She did, after all, run a lifestyle website called the Tig (described as a hub for the discerning palate"), which closed in 2017. Launching an aspirational brand is also the sort of thing every celebrity does these days. Reigning over the celebrity entrepreneur space, of course, is Gwyneth Paltrow. Her brand, Goop, is worth $250m (198m) despite (or possibly thanks to) the fact that it's a constant source of ridicule. Meghan is never going to be the next British queen, but maybe she thinks she has a shot at being the next Paltrow. Continue reading...
by Rachel Leingang in Minneapolis, Minnesota on (#6KN6Q)
Thousands of voters registered their anti-war opinion through the ballot, showing the president it could sway the electionA key Democratic voting bloc intensely focused on Joe Biden's support for Israel in the war on Gaza could sway the 2024 election in November - depending on what happens in the war and how Biden works to win back these voters.The anti-war vote has shown in recent weeks that it is both organized and effective at using its voice at the polls, displaying one of the most effective grassroots electoral movements on the left in recent history.Michigan: 101,623 votes for uncommitted, about 13% of total votesMinnesota: 45,914 votes for uncommitted, nearly 19% of total votesHawaii: 455 votes for uncommitted, about 29% of total votesWashington: 89,753 votes for uncommitted delegates, nearly 10% of total vote Continue reading...
Trump's first criminal trial is officially set for 15 AprilYou're reading Guardian US's free Trump on Trial newsletter. To get the latest court developments delivered to your inbox, sign up here. Continue reading...
The anti-choice case relies on outlandish legal leaps. And if they can't win there, they'll redouble efforts to win the White HouseIt is a testament to how weak the plaintiffs' case is that the justices seemed so skeptical. Erin Hawley, a lawyer for the far-right antifeminist litigation shop Alliance Defending Freedom and the spouse of conservative US senator Josh Hawley, usually gets a much warmer reception at One First Street. But in Tuesday's oral arguments in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v FDA - a lawsuit which seeks to challenge FDA approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, and specifically to reverse regulatory changes that made the drug more easily accessible - she was on the defensive.The three Democratic appointees, along with Republican justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Roberts, all signaled at least some skepticism of her clients' claims to legal standing. Amy Coney Barrett, the Trump appointee known for her maximalist religious commitments, struggled to help Hawley establish a convincing merits case to restrict access to the drug. And the far-right extremists Sam Alito and Thomas Gorsuch spent their question time signalling their support for the Comstock Act, a long-obscure and once-forgotten 1871 statute that some anti-choice lawyers say could be used to ban abortion nationwide by executive order.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
On the same day as the vote, the White House declared, contrary to all evidence, that Israel has not blocked humanitarian aid from GazaAfter the US vetoed three previous resolutions, the United Nations security council voted on Monday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the remaining weeks of Ramadan. The UN resolution was approved after Joe Biden's administration dropped its veto threat and lifted its diplomatic cover for Israel, at least temporarily, by abstaining from the vote.Has Biden finally decided to use his leverage over Israel to stop its devastating war in Gaza, which has killed more than 32,000 people, the majority of them women and children and displaced over 75% of the population? It doesn't seem so: on the same day that the US abstained on the UN ceasefire resolution, allowing it to pass, the Biden administration inexplicably declared that Israel has not violated international law or blocked humanitarian aid from reaching desperate people in Gaza. Continue reading...
From minor leaguers to Hall of Famers, dozens of former players have sought public office after the end of their sports careerOn 5 March, former baseball star Steve Garvey made it into the runoff for the US Senate seat from California vacated by the late Dianne Feinstein. Garvey, a conservative Republican, will face Democrat congressman Adam Schiff in the November general election.Garvey faces an uphill battle in deep-blue California. During debates and public appearances, he's revealed little knowledge of the issues. He's relying on his 19 years (1969-87) in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres to propel his campaign. It's time to get off the bench. It's time to put the uniform on. It's time to get back in the game," he said in October when he announced his campaign.Peter Dreier is professor of politics at Occidental College and author of Baseball Rebels: The Players, People, and Social Movements That Shook Up the Game and Changed America, published in 2022.Isabella Flad and Sarah Jageler provided research assistance for this article. Continue reading...
Across Britain, families are calling for an end to the violence. But what should be shared and discussed with younger members?It is always at bedtime that the horror of Gaza hits Naila Khan. You know the images of those Palestinian parents, where they're rocking their dead child?" she asks me, from Manchester. Every evening when I'm rocking my child, all I can imagine is those mothers holding their children and I think to myself: my child is breathing, is alive, is healthy, safe, has got shelter. We're not being bombed."Khan is a mother of four and, like many parents, she is struggling to process this war and the horrific impact on the children of Gaza. The death toll is unprecedented in our lifetimes, as is the on-the-ground footage we are seeing. I now understand why my mother couldn't watch the news for years after I was born, and yet I can't turn away. This war has galvanised my friends and acquaintances on social media, many of them parents. I get a lot of parenting content from Instagram, and use the platform to share my experiences. The horrifying footage of dead and injured children and distressed parents is now mixed in - it is a constant on my feed - eroding any barrier to empathy that might have existed between us before the age of social media.Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist and author Continue reading...
by Martin Pengelly, Guardian staff and agencies on (#6KMN6)
Authorities say accident sent vehicles and workers into river as Biden promises to fund rebuilding of crucial structureMaryland state police say the six people who were missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday in Baltimore, Maryland, are now presumed dead.Authorities said the accident sent a number of vehicles and eight construction workers into the Patapsco River. Two people were rescued on Tuesday, but Jeffrey Pritzker, a senior executive at Brawner Builders, the employer of the construction workers, said the other six were presumed dead, given the water's depth and the length of time since the crash. Continue reading...
Most Germans insist their ancestors weren't Nazis. Jonathan Glazer's film pries away at the cracks in this narrativeThere is something unsettling about sitting in a German theatre laughing at Nazis. How unsettling depends on the type of humour that prompts the laughter. Is it meant to set the audience apart from the stage action, or does the laughter stem from the discomfort of proximity? When I saw the satire Nachtland staged recently at Berlin's prestigious Schaubuhne (a production also runs in an English translation at the Young Vic in London until 20 April), I perceived the ripples of laughter filling the room as a sort of embarrassed self-awareness. Like a tense moment of getting caught - a feeling that every storyteller ultimately longs to evoke.In the play, which has a present-day setting, two siblings find a painting signed by A. Hitler" in their dead father's house. Once they realise that the kitschy artwork is worth more than 100,000 if they can credibly authenticate the artist as Hitler, the siblings start recasting their entire family history in a different light. While the previous narrative had insisted that our family had nothing to do with the Nazis" (the dominant account in most German households), now suddenly the late grandmother is not only found to be a comitted follower of Nazi ideology, but to have had a love affair with Hitler's secretary. As the new family history pragmatically, and profitably, unfolds, it becomes much more realistic, ironically, than the hitherto official version.Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...
Maryland authorities said the six people who were missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, have been presumed dead. Maryland state police, said that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery.
Former president sells Trump-endorsed Bible in concert with Lee Greenwood, country singer whose music is played at his ralliesPatriotic, prayerful and rightwing Americans are being offered the chance to purchase - for a mere $59.99 - a Bible endorsed by Donald Trump, in the latest example of the former US president touting wares to the American public.In a post to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, the current presumptive Republican nominee and 88-times charged criminal defendant said: Happy Holy Week! Let's Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless the USA Bible." Continue reading...
Toy company makes request after altered images - which hide suspects' identities in line with state law - go viralA southern California police department has been handcuffed by Lego after the toy company asked the agency to stop adding Lego heads to cover the faces of suspects in images it shares on social media.The Murrieta police department has been using Lego heads and emojis to cover people's faces in posts on social sites since at least early 2023. But the altered photos went viral last week after the department posted a statement about its policy, prompting several news articles and, later, the request from Lego. Continue reading...
Shanahan, 38, may be best known as the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and was one of Kennedy's biggest donorsRobert F Kennedy Jr, the prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who is running for president as an independent, announced on Tuesday that his running mate will be Nicole Shanahan. A Silicon Valley attorney and wealthy philanthropist, Shanahan has never held office and has little background in politics.Shanahan, 38, was previously best known in the media as the wife of Google co-founder and tech billionaire Sergey Brin. Their divorce in 2021 made headlines after the Wall Street Journal reported that Shanahan allegedly had an affair with Brin's friend and fellow tech mogul Elon Musk, resulting in a falling out between Brin and the Tesla chief executive. Shanahan and Musk denied any affair took place. Continue reading...
There is only political upside for Albanese in picking up the phone to Biden, not waiting for an appeal to wend its way through the UK courtsThe decision by the UK high court to allow the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leave to appeal against his extradition if the US does not provide assurances about his right to the first amendment, no death penalty and equal treatment under US law, is yet another milestone in this long-running case. Meanwhile Assange languishes in the notoriously harsh Belmarsh prison in London.Assange faces criminal charges carrying a possible sentence of 170 years' imprisonment for publishing materials in 2010 which exposed war crimes by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. Continue reading...
Severe criticism followed hiring as pundit of McDaniel, who headed Republican National Committee during Trump yearsThe former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel is on her way out of NBC less than a week after joining the network, NBC announced in a memo from NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde.Conde said he had listened to the legitimate concerns" of many network employees. No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned," he wrote. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal." Continue reading...
by Maanvi Singh and Kari Paul in Oakland on (#6KMQH)
Independent candidate for president selects Shanahan, 38, a wealthy philanthropist formerly married to Sergey BrinRobert F Kennedy Jr selected Nicole Shanahan, a tech attorney and wealthy philanthropist, as his running mate in an independent campaign that could upset the 2024 race for the White House.Kennedy, an environmental attorney who gained notoriety as a vaccine sceptic and conspiracy theorist, announced his pick at a campaign event on Tuesday in Oakland, California, where Shanahan was born. Continue reading...
Locals gather at convenience store near entrance of bridge - closest they could get - as search under way for missingAcross Baltimore residents were struggling to make sense of what had happened after waking up to news of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, one of the city's main thoroughfares. It seems impossible," said Reginald Jones, a 67-year-old Baltimore resident.The bridge crumpled into the Patapsco River like a house of cards at 1.30am on Tuesday after it was struck by a giant cargo ship leaving the city's port. Continue reading...
Trump Media & Technology trading on Nasdaq under DJT' ticker, using Trump's initials and closing up 15% after first day of tradingThe firm behind Donald Trump's Truth Social went public on Tuesday at a price that values the minnow social network at close to $8bn.Shares in Digital World Acquisition, the shell company with which Trump's social media business has merged, have been surging since the turn of the year. Continue reading...
The Biden administration U-turned as its frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu grew. But don't expect much moreThe extent of the Biden administration's shift at the United Nations security council on Monday should not be underestimated. The US is not only by far Israel's most important ally and supplier of aid, but has provided it with stalwart diplomatic support. That it abstained instead of vetoing a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire - as it had previously done - was a major departure and leaves Israel looking extremely isolated, as Benjamin Netanyahu's angry reaction showed.Yet the US has since done its best to talk down its decision, with officials insisting that there has been no change in policy and describing the resolution as non-binding. That is not the view of other security council members or the UN itself. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, wrote that it would be unforgivable" to fail to implement the resolution, which also called for the unconditional release of hostages. But Israeli airstrikes have continued. Continue reading...
Joe Biden said the federal government would pay for the reconstruction of a bridge in Baltimore after it collapsed when a container ship collided with it, sending a number of vehicles into the water.The US president said the rescue effort was the top priority' as several people remained unaccounted for after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
A bridge in the US city of Baltimore has snapped and collapsed after a ship collided with one of its support columns. Rescuers are searching the water for survivors and the state's governor has declared a state of emergency.A video analysis shows the ships movements in the moments before the collision Continue reading...
In the data-driven, optimisation-obsessed corner of the internet, everything has its optimal moment, and washing is no exceptionOne of my favourite things to do in my middle age is lie on the sofa eating crisps while Googling low-effort ways to optimise my life.Thanks to data-driven obsessives online, I have discovered that there is an optimal time at which to do everything. Exercising in the afternoon, for example, may reduce the risks of early death more than a morning or evening workout. Delaying your morning coffee until two hours after waking improves cognition and energy, according to Andrew Huberman, a controversial neurobiologist and podcaster who has developed a cult following for his health and fitness protocols". Asfor the best time to have a shower? I'm glad you asked. I have done extensive research on the matter - and it's complicated. Continue reading...
The UN vote for a Gaza ceasefire shows Biden's administration has finally lost patience with Israel's leader. That could be crucialHow do you gaslight an entire nation about a war and then try to do the same to a superpower that is your ally? And how do you turn a just war into global isolation and widespread condemnation? Just ask Benjamin Netanyahu. He has the patent.Netanyahu has been deliberately and intently seeking a confrontation with the US ever since late October. The UN security council resolution 2728, demanding an immediate ceasefire", is just the latest pretext for this premeditated showdown. This may sound counterintuitive and imprudent to you, given that the two countries are close allies, given Israel's heavy reliance on US military aid and its diplomatic umbrella, and particularly given President Biden's sweeping and unwavering support for Israel since the 7 October catastrophe.Alon Pinkas served as Israel's consul general in New York from 2000 to 2004. He is now a columnist for HaaretzDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Biden now leads Trump in Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, and is tied in Pennsylvania, new poll showsJoe Biden had some good news on Tuesday as polling showed him gaining on Donald Trump in six battleground states, seven months before the presidential election. In response, one leading Democratic strategist said the Biden bump is real".According to Bloomberg News and Morning Consult, Biden now leads Trump by a point in Wisconsin, having trailed by four last month, and is tied in Pennsylvania, where Trump had a six-point lead last month. The two candidates were also tied in Michigan. Continue reading...
Utah women's basketball coach, Lynne Roberts, said her team experienced a series of 'racial hate crimes' and were forced to change hotels due to safety concerns during the NCAA Tournament.Utah, South Dakota State and UC Irvine were all staying at hotels in Idaho because of the lack of hotel space in Spokane. Far-right extremists have become a presence in the region. Roberts said the NCAA and the host school, Gonzaga, worked to move the team after the incident. She added: 'For our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCAA Tournament environment, it's messed up ... this should be a positive for everybody involved.'
The same vessel that hit the Baltimore Key Bridge on Tuesday, destroying it and sending people and vehicles tumbling into the water, was involved in a collision while leaving the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016. According to Vessel Finder the weather was fine at the time, and the incident was reportedly blamed on the ship's master and pilot on board
This attack could not come at a worse time for Palestinians. Hunger is widespread in Gaza, and famine is projected in the north by MayIsrael's vendetta against United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) illustrates the callousness with which Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government has fought the war in Gaza. It also reflects an effort to use Hamas's 7 October attack as an opportunity for demographic reengineering.Formally called the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Unrwa was established by the UN general assembly in December 1949 to address the 700,000 Palestinian refugees whom Israeli troops had forced from their homes during the war that led to the creation of the state of Israel in May 1948. Palestinians refer to this expulsion as the nakba, or catastrophe. Today, Unrwa provides education, healthcare and social services to the surviving refugees and their descendants. They number nearly 7 million, scattered among Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria as well as the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting professor at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs Continue reading...
Aerial footage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore shows the bridge before and after a cargo ship collided with it early on Tuesday, sending vehicles into the water
Spokesperson for president notes Trump's Jesus comparisons and lack of campaign events and says US deserves better'Joe Biden's presidential re-election campaign labeled Donald Trump weak and desperate" and feeble, confused and tired", after the former president and presumptive Republican nominee appeared in court and then spoke to the press in New York.Donald Trump is weak and desperate - both as a man and a candidate for president," said James Singer, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, on Monday. Continue reading...
Beloved zoo escapee had rat poison in its bloodstream and had contracted a serious disease from its diet of pigeonFlaco, the Eurasian eagle owl who gained fame after living free in New York City after escaping from captivity, was weakened by rat poison and a pigeon virus to the extent he would've died even if he had not fatally collided with a building earlier this year, a postmortem has found.Flaco was 13 years old when he was found dead in the courtyard of a building on New York's Upper West Side on 23 February, with trauma injuries that suggested he had flown directly into the structure. Continue reading...
Law will ban social media accounts for children under 14 once it takes effect but must still withstand expected legal challengesThe Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, has signed a law that has given his state one of the US's most restrictive social media bans for minors, though it must still withstand expected legal challenges.Once it takes effect, the bill signed on Monday bans social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier in March, a week before the annual legislative session ended. Continue reading...
A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early on Tuesday, causing it to snap in various places and fall into the Patapsco River. Several vehicles fell into the water, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people
Those of us who already cared not a jot what we wore, ate or watched all day welcome the Goop star to our ranks. But a takeaway and reality TV once a week won't cut itNew wisdom has just dropped from Gwyneth Paltrow. Now that she has turned 50, she doesn't give a fuck", and allows herself one slovenly day a week, watching reality TV and ordering takeaways. This is quite a common refrain, not just in the wellness world, but from the realm of the perfect. They reach a certain age - usually 50, sometimes 45 - and assertively cease to care. Sometimes it hinges on diet and exercise, other times it's I turned 50 and stopped being a pleaser, saying yes to everything, hiding my true feelings."Passing this age threshold is framed as a liberating Rubicon, and those of us who were already reckless and past caring should be welcoming Gwyneth, and everyone like her, into our ranks. But it does rankle a tiny bit: the world of expectations that surrounds women younger than 50 - what they should wear, what they should eat, what they should watch, how polite they should be, whether their neck is long enough for hoop earrings, whether they spend enough time meditating - is partly created by people like Paltrow. OK, maybe that's unfair and she's just like all of us, swimming her best in waters not of her own making, but certainly she has always been a reliable enforcer of the feminine ideal, even if it didn't always come off (I'm thinking of the vagina-scented" candle, of course, because when am I not?). Continue reading...
Despite his campaign promises, the president is mimicking Trump's approach to the island and fueling its economic miseryOn 6 April 1960, the US diplomat Lester D Mallory wrote a memo advocating an embargo denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government". Sixty-four years later and the policy that Cubans call el bloqueo (the blockade) is still in force. It hasn't achieved its stated aim of overturning the Cuban Revolution - but it has fueled years of desperation and justified anger.Barack Obama came to recognize this by his second term. During a historic 2016 visit to Havana, he said that he had come to bury the last remnant of the cold war in the Americas" and to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people". By then his administration had already made tangible steps in that direction.Bhaskar Sunkara is the president of the Nation, founding editor of Jacobin, and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequalities Continue reading...
We want to hear from people in Baltimore who have been affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapseIn the US, rescue efforts remain underway after a major bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed early on Tuesday. At least seven vehicles are believed to have fallen in the water.A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Bridge causing the bridge to snap. A video posted on X appeared to show the vessel striking one of the bridge's central supports, causing much of the 2.6km bridge to give way. Continue reading...
A portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after a large boat collided with it early on Tuesday morning, sending multiple vehicles into the water. At about 1.30am, a vessel crashed into the bridge, catching fire before sinking and causing multiple vehicles to fall into the water below, according to a video posted on X. All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured," the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X. The Baltimore mayor, Brandon M Scott, and and the county executive, Johnny Olszewski Jr, said emergency personnel were at the scene and rescue efforts were under way
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