COMMERCIAL POINT, OH – Deborah Kemper of Commercial Point is the lucky winner of $20,000 after playing Mega Millions.
Kemper will receive $14,400 after mandatory state and federal taxes totaling 28 percent.
Her ticket was purchased at Meijer Gas, located at 2859 London Groveport Rd in Grove City.
According to lottery officials, “Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday evenings at approximately 11:00 pm.”
(Reuters) – Western governments are increasingly alarmed about deepening economic ties between Turkey and Russia, warning of the mounting risk that Turkey could be hit by punitive retaliation if it helps Russia avoid sanctions, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed to boost cooperation in the transport, agriculture, finance and construction industries.
Six Western officials told FT that they were concerned about the agreement.
(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Frances Kerry)
VARAZDIN, Croatia -Twelve people were killed in Croatia on Saturday when a Polish bus filled with religious pilgrims slipped off a road and crashed near Varazdin, authorities said.
Thirty-two people were injured in the crash which happened at 5:40 a.m. (0340 GMT) on the highway between Varazdin, in northwest Croatia, and capital Zagreb.
Croatian Health Minister Vili Beros said 19 people were in a serious condition.
Marcin Przydacz, deputy head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, who was travelling to the site on Saturday, said the injured were being treated at five hospitals in Croatia.
He said there were 44 Polish pilgrims on the bus driving from Poland to Medjugorje, a Roman Catholic shrine in southern Bosnia, including two drivers. Among them were three priests and six nuns, a ministry spokesman said.
Police cleared the area where the accident took place after firefighters and medical teams recovered all the occupants of the vehicle which had Warsaw registration plates.
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Polish police officers, in Croatia as part of project “Safe Tourist Destination” project, were helping Croatian authorities in communicating with the survivors.
An investigation has been started into the cause of the accident.
(Reporting by Antonio Bronic in Croatia, Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo and Joana Plucinska in Warsaw; Editing by Jason Neely, Mark Heinrich and Mike Harrison)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA – As Israel’s campaign against the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza moved into its second day on Saturday, residents of houses targeted for destruction said they were given 15 minutes warning to evacuate.
“What can we do with 15 minutes?” said 68-year-old Nadia Shamalakh, who cares for four disabled sons and daughters in Gaza. “We took nothing away with us.”
The Israeli military said a number of houses doubling as either Islamic Jihad weapons depots or command and control centres for the group were hit on Saturday. It said inhabitants of the homes were warned before they were bombed.
Asked whether it had given 15 minute warnings it had no immediate comment.
Shamalakh said her one-storey house was destroyed when an airstrike hit a building next door belonging to a relative, who was warned to clear their house and to tell their neighbours to do the same.
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“I fell to the ground three times because I had undergone surgery in my leg, while others helped my children in wheelchairs to move away,” Shamalakh said, as she sat on a pile of rubble next to where her home had stood.
Strikes continued throughout the day on Saturday, leaving smoke and dustclouds from the destroyed buildings drifting across the Gaza skyline. Islamic Jihad fired volleys of rockets into Israel in response.
According to local health officials, Israeli planes bombed at least eight houses across the enclave, wounding dozens of people and leaving many families homeless in a widening of the campaign of strikes launched on Friday.
A total of at least 15 people have been killed and dozens wounded in the operation, which Israel says was launched in response to an imminent threat from Islamic Jihad fighters to its citizens in the area around Gaza.
Israeli officials say that both Hamas, the militant group which rules the Gaza Strip, and the smaller Islamic Jihad conceal weapons in residential areas, using the presence of civilians as cover to deter strikes. An Islamic Jihad official rejected the allegation as “a Zionist attempt to justify their crimes against civilians.”
For Shamalakh, who said the strikes severely damaged the houses of relatives in the area where she and her family might have found refuge, the loss of her home left her with no shelter and an uncertain future.
“Where shall I sleep with my disabled daughters and sons? What happened was a catastrophe, it is unjust.”
(Additional reporting by Fadi Shana and Ibraheem Abu Mustafa; Reporting and writing by Nidal Almughrabi, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) -The slide in U.S. stock prices punished Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s bottom line in the second quarter, as the conglomerate run by billionaire Warren Buffett on Saturday reported a $43.8 billion loss.
Berkshire nevertheless generated nearly $9.3 billion of operating profit, as gains from reinsurance and the BNSF railroad offset fresh losses at the Geico car insurer, where parts shortages and higher used vehicle prices boosted accident claims.
Rising interest rates and dividend payouts helped insurance businesses generate more money from investments, while the strengthening U.S. dollar boosted profit from European and Japanese debt investments.
Despite the huge net loss, “the results show Berkshire’s resilience,” said James Shanahan, an Edward Jones & Co analyst who rates Berkshire “neutral.”
“Businesses are performing well despite higher interest rates, inflation pressures and geopolitical concerns,” he said. “It gives me confidence in the company if there is a recession.”
Berkshire also slowed purchases of its stocks, including its own, though it still had $105.4 billion of cash it could deploy.
Investors closely watch Berkshire because of Buffett’s reputation, and because results from the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate’s dozens of operating units often mirror broader economic trends.
Those units include steady earners such as its namesake energy company, several industrial companies, and familiar consumer brands such as Dairy Queen, Duracell, Fruit of the Loom and See’s Candies.
“Berkshire is a microcosm of the broader economy,” said Cathy Seifert, a CFRA Research analyst with a “hold” rating on Berkshire. “Many businesses are enjoying improved demand, but they are not immune to higher input costs from inflation.”
DISRUPTIONS PERSIST
In its quarterly report, Berkshire said “significant disruptions of supply chains and higher costs have persisted” as new COVID-19 variants emerge and because of geopolitical conflicts including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But it said direct losses have not been material, despite higher costs for materials, shipping and labor.
Net results suffered from Berkshire’s $53 billion of losses from investments and derivatives, including declines of more than 21% in three major holdings: Apple Inc, Bank of America Corp and American Express Co.
Accounting rules require Berkshire to report the losses with its results even if it buys and sells nothing.
Buffett urges investors to ignore the fluctuations, and Berkshire will make money if stocks rise over time.
In 2020, for example, Berkshire lost nearly $50 billion in the first quarter as the pandemic took hold, but made $42.5 billion for the full year.
“It shows the fickle nature of markets,” said Tom Russo, a partner at Gardner, Russo & Quinn in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who invests more than $8 billion, of which 17% is in Berkshire. “It’s business as usual at Berkshire Hathaway.”
The Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 16% in the quarter.
GEICO LOSSES
Berkshire’s quarterly net loss was equal to $29,754 per Class A share, and compared with a net profit of $28.1 billion, or $18,488 per Class A share, a year earlier.
The $9.28 billion of operating profit, or about $6,326 per Class A share, rose 39% from $6.69 billion a year earlier.
It included $1.06 billion of currency gains on foreign debt. Revenue increased 10% to $76.2 billion.
Geico suffered a $487 million pre-tax underwriting loss, its fourth straight quarterly loss.
“All auto insurers have been dealing with inflation in claims costs,” Seifert said. “Geico has been less successful than some at passing through rate increases and retaining customers.”
The loss was more than offset by a $976 million pre-tax gain in property and casualty reinsurance, and a 56% jump in after-tax in insurance investment income to $1.91 billion.
Profit rose 10% at BNSF, with higher revenue per car from fuel surcharges partially offsetting lower freight volumes, while profit from Berkshire Hathaway Energy rose 4%.
Berkshire repurchased just $1 billion of its own stock, down from $3.2 billion in the first quarter, and compared with $51.7 billion in 2020 and 2021.
Its $6.15 billion of stock purchases fell from $51.1 billion in the first quarter, when it took major stakes in oil companies Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jason Neely and Diane Craft)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington, one of 10 House Republicans who bucked the party and voted to impeach former President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, defeated a Trump-backed challenger and advanced to the general election, Edison Research projected late on Friday.
Newhouse’s opponents included Loren Culp, whose campaign website boasts a Trump endorsement and contains a picture of Culp with the former president. Culp came in third place in the primary.
Newhouse, who was first elected in 2014, will face off against Doug White, a farmer and restaurateur who is running on the Democratic ticket, in the Nov. 8 general election where voters will decide which party will control Congress. The district is solidly Republican.
Jaime Herrera Beutler, another Republican who voted for Trump’s impeachment and who represents a nearby district, remained in a close contest with Joe Kent, a former Green Beret who is also supported by Trump.
Washington’s primaries are unusual in the United States because candidates from all parties compete against one another, with only the top two making it through to the general election.
Republican primaries this year have been marked by Trump’s involvement. Throughout the country, he has backed right-wing challengers to Republicans who he views as disloyal.
Newhouse and Herrera-Beutler were among those. The results for Trump have been mixed, with some of the candidates he targeted prevailing in their primaries and others being toppled.
Trump was impeached after he delivered a fiery speech calling for his supporters to go to the Capitol and fight. Hundreds of them stormed the Capitol to try to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory, a usually procedural process.
(Reporting by Makini Brice; editing by Diane Craft)
KYIV -The head of Amnesty International’s Ukraine office has quit the human rights body in a disagreement with it after the group accused Ukraine’s armed forces of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas during the Russian invasion.
Amnesty made the comments in a report published on Thursday that drew fierce criticism from the Ukrainian government. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy led denunciations of Amnesty’s allegations, accusing the group of “trying to shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim”.
Amnesty’s Ukraine head Oksana Pokalchuk said on Facebook late on Friday that she was resigning as she opposed the report’s publication, and now understood that she could not get it changed or removed.
Pokalchuk said Amnesty unwittingly “created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives of the invasion. In an effort to protect civilians, this study became a tool of Russian propaganda”.
“It pains me to admit it, but we disagreed with the leadership of Amnesty International on values. That’s why I decided to leave the organization.”
Asked about Pokalchuk’s resignation, an Amnesty spokesperson quoted Agnes Callamard, the organisation’s secretary general, as saying: “Oksana has been a valued member of Amnesty staff, and has led the Amnesty International Ukraine office for seven years with many significant human rights successes.”
“We are sorry to hear that she is leaving the organization, but we respect her decision and wish her well.”
Asked about the criticism of this week’s report, Amnesty said it was preparing a further statement.
Ukrainian officials say they take every possible measure to evacuate civilians from front-line areas. Russia denies targeting civilians in what it describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Pavel PolityukEditing by Kim Coghill and Frances Kerry)
By Ruma Paul
DHAKA -Bangladesh raised fuel prices by around 50% on Saturday, a move that will trim the country’s subsidy burden but put more pressure on inflation that is already running above 7%.
The South Asian country’s $416 billion economy has been one of the fastest-growing in the world for years.
However, soaring energy and food prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war have inflated its import bill, forcing the government to seek loans from global agencies, including the International Monetary Fund.
The price for petrol has been increased by 51.2% to 130 taka ($1.38) a litre, 95-octane gasoline by 51.7% to 135 taka and diesel and kerosene by 42.5%, the power, energy and mineral resources ministry said in a statement.
The fuel price increase was inevitable given global market conditions, the ministry added, noting state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation had incurred a loss of more than 8 billion taka ($85 million) on oil sales in the six months to July.
“The new prices will not seem tolerable to everyone. But we had no other choice. People have to be patient,” Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, told reporters on Saturday.
He said prices would be adjusted if global prices fall.
“It was necessary but I never imagined such a drastic hike. I don’t know whether the government is fulfilling the prerequisite to have an IMF loan,” a government official said.
Terming the government’s move as ‘rubbing salt in the wounds’, main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the hike would have a terrible impact on the economy.
Bangladesh’s inflation rate has been above 6% for nine consecutive months, and hit 7.48% in July, putting pressure on poorer families to meet their daily expenses and raising the risk of social unrest.
“We are already struggling to make ends meet. Now that the government has raised fuel prices, how will we survive?,” said Mizanur Rahman, a private sector employee.
The government last raised diesel and kerosene prices by 23% in November which in turn prompted a nearly 30% rise in transport fares.
Global oil prices have eased from their highs in recent weeks and closed on Friday at their lowest levels since February, rattled by worries a recession could hit fuel demand. [O/R]
Benchmark Brent crude futures fell below $95 per barrel on Friday, down from a peak of $133.18 in March.
Amid dwindling foreign exchange reserves, the government has taken a series of measures, including placing curbs on luxury goods imports and on fuel imports including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and shutting diesel-run power plants as it resorted to recurring power outages.
The country’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $39.67 billion as of Aug. 3, sufficient to cover only about five months of imports and down from $45.89 billion a year earlier.
($1 = 94.4400 taka)
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by Jason Neely and Christina Fincher)
WEST DEPTFORD, NJ – A mass grave has been discovered at a New Jersey park after archeologists investigating a Revolutionary War battlefield found the remains of about a dozen Hessian soldiers.
The discovery was made at the Battle of Red Bank National Park along the banks of the Delaware River in June.
The dig, conducted by Rowan University was successful before the find of the human remains.
“The big find was a nearly pristine—and extremely rare—1766 King George III gold guinea,” the University said in a statement. “And then someone uncovered a human femur.”
“One of our volunteers who was digging said, ‘I think I have a bone.’ And…everything…stopped,” says Rowan University historian Jennifer Janofsky, director of Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park. “I’ll never forget that moment. It was stunning. It was overwhelming. It was sad.”
Rowan University issued the following statement on the find:
Altogether, in fact, the skeletal remains of approximately 13 individuals, believed by researchers to be Hessian soldiers, were uncovered this summer during an archaeological dig at the battlefield—the site of what Janofsky says was the greatest upset victory of the American Revolution.
Buried for 245 years just four and a half feet deep, the remains—femurs, skulls, teeth—were found in a mass grave, a rarity for Revolutionary War battle sites, according to Janofsky, the Megan Giordano Fellow in Public History in Rowan’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences.
“As we removed more remains, it became clear to us that this was not one individual. We were looking at a mass grave and, in all likelihood, a Hessian mass grave.
“Finding battlefield remains is incredibly unusual,” continues Janofsky, who secured a $19,000 New Jersey Historical Commission grant to conduct four public digs this summer on a quarter-acre parcel of land adjacent to the existing park that was purchased by Gloucester County last summer because of its historical significance. County officials committed $30,000 in additional funding for the archaeology project.
When the femur was discovered, Janofsky made a flurry of phone calls—to the county, to the medical examiner, to local and state police. New Jersey State Police Forensic Anthropologist Anna Delaney visited the site and confirmed the femur was from a human. Additional digging by archeologists from South River Heritage Consulting, led by president/principal archaeologist Wade Catts, meticulously, reverently uncovered additional remains.
Based on the artifacts found with the remains, researchers believe the remains are Hessian soldiers. But additional study is needed to confirm that, according to Janofsky and Catts.
“We’re assuming they’re Hessian soldiers based on everything we’ve found, the context of what we’ve found, and the artifacts and objects that are in place with them. This is very much a death scene investigation,” says Catts. “It’s a really significant archaeological site.”
You can read the full story here.
TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River East Little League star turned Major League all-star Todd Frazier is now moving on to another chapter in his post-MLB retirement as an announcer for ESPN. Frazier will be calling the games at the Little League World Series four months after his announced retirement from Major League Baseball.
Frazier will begin his broadcasting debut on Monday when he calls games for the New England Regional Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.
“Everything is coming full circle a little bit,” Frazier said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, especially for the Little League World Series since I’ve been a part of it. I know it and understand it really well. Kind of kickstart my second career here.”
Frazier started his career in Cincinnati with the Reds before moving to the White Sox, Yankees, Mets and Pirates.
He will also be inducted into the Little League Hall of Fame this year.
Frazier told the Enquirer he’s become just plain old dad since retiring from baseball, spending his days coaching his son’s travel baseball team and taking his daughter to gymnastics while finding time to do “house stuff”.
Frazier, a local hometown hero has since had a beer and a burger named after him at local businesses.
JERUSALEM – Israeli officials say air strikes on Gaza have targeted the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement rather than Hamas, the militant group which rules the enclave. What is the difference between the two groups?
The PIJ is a militant group allied with Hamas, both with a background in the Muslim Brotherhood, a shared hostility to Israel and an ideological commitment to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state.
But the two groups have separate identities and some differences.
Whereas Hamas leaders have made statements softening their commitment to the destruction of Israel, the smaller PIJ has made no such move and rejects any compromises with Israel.
On Friday, as he explained the airstrikes on Israeli television, Prime Minister Yair Lapid described the group as “an Iranian proxy that wants to destroy the state of Israel”,
While it does not have as many long-range rockets as Hamas, PIJ does have a significant arsenal of small arms, mortars, rockets and anti tank missiles and an active armed wing called the Al Quds, or Jerusalem Brigades, that has attacked many Israeli targets over the years.
COMMANDER KILLED
Friday’s air strikes killed Tayseer al-Jaabari, a senior commander who Israel said was the commander of the movement’s northern region, responsible for planning attacks against Israeli citizens and military targets.
Up-to-date figures on PIJ’s strength are difficult to come by, with estimates from last year ranging from about 1,000 to several thousand, according to the CIA’s World Factbook.
Both Hamas, which has fought five conflicts with Israel since 2009, and PIJ are listed as terrorist organisations by the West. Both get funds and weapons from Iran, where PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah was reported to have been meeting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the day of the strikes.
Unlike Hamas, PIJ refuses to join elections and appears to have no ambition to form a government in Gaza or the West Bank.
WEST BANK
It maintains a significant presence in the West Bank town of Jenin, where Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of the movement was arrested last week, setting off the crisis that led to Friday’s strikes.
However its focus on militant activity means it does not have anything like the same infrastructure or responsibilities as Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, in charge of government and day-to-day needs of more than 2.3 million people.
Little more than a year since the 11-day war of May 2021, which inflicted huge damage on Gaza’s economy, Israel’s explicit focus on PIJ targets appears intended to convince Hamas to stay out of the fighting itself.
Zvika Haimovich, a former commander of the Israel Air Defense Forces who served in previous operations against Gaza in 2012 and 2014, said there were significant disagreements with PIJ that could make Hamas stay out.
“The direct immediate interest of Hamas is not to join this operation,” he said.
“If Hamas joins this operation it will change totally the situation that we are talking about.”
(Reporting by James Mackenzie; editing by Jason Neely)
TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Toms River East Little League ‘Beasts from the East’ made it to the Little League World Series in Livermore California this week and opened the series with a dramatic come-from-behind win. You can check out the highlights by ESPN below.
Toms River was trailing Texas 10-6 in the sixth inning but came back to tie the game in a dramatic fashion.
After three straight walks, Toms River’s Jay Longo hit a grand slam to tie the game. Later, Adrian Bilotti ripped a line drive to left field to score Cailen Cimorelli for the go ahead run to beat Texas 11-10.
New Jersey went on to lose their next game 11-4, being defeated for the second time by the Central Maui Little League of Hawaii, 11-1 on Wednesday ending their run at the title, but going deep into the tournament.
Here’s what else is taking place inside our Jersey Shore Newsroom, where you can find more Jersey Shore News as it happens.
TOMS RIVER, NJ – Police in Toms River shut down northbound traffic on Fischer Boulevard near the Hooper Avenue intersection. A vehicle traveling northbound on Fischer struck a telephone pole at an apparent high rate of speed, causing serious damage.
The downed utility pole forced police to shut down traffic while the scene was cleared. The incident happened near the Water’s Edge condominium complex. The extent of injuries at this time is unknown.
Here’s what else is taking place inside our Jersey Shore Newsroom, where you can find more Jersey Shore News as it happens.
PASSAIC, NJ – Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman announced that at approximately 1:45 a.m. on August 4, 2022, members of the Passaic Police Department responded to the area of High Street and Paulison Avenue in Passaic, New Jersey on a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, police located a potential crime scene but no victims were located. The investigation remains active and ongoing. More information will be released once it becomes available.
BRICK TOWNSHIP, NJ – Early Friday morning, the Brenton Woods Fire Company and the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service responded to a residential brush fire in Brick Township.
Breton Woods Fire Department issued the following statement:
This Morning at approximately at 0515hrs, District 1 and New Jersey State Forest Fire got dispatched for a reported brush fire. Captain 2120 had command. Brush unit 2129 worked on the fire with the state forest fire. Engine 2101 established a water supply. The fire has been extinguished. All district 1 units cleared the scene around noon and state forest fire is remaining on location.
By Gabriella Borter
(Reuters) – Indiana lawmakers prepared on Friday to take a final vote on a bill that would ban all abortions except in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency, legislation that would dramatically cut abortion access in the Midwestern state if approved.
The measure, which passed the Indiana House of Representatives on Friday and awaited approval by the Senate, would make Indiana the first state to pass legislation to sharply restrict abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
If approved by the Republican-led Senate, it would move to the desk of Republican Governor Eric Holcomb for signing.
Indiana’s state legislature moved the bill during a special session this summer, which lawmakers called after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision empowered states to pass and carry out laws banning abortion.
West Virginia is likely days away from passing a near-total abortion ban, and some 10 other Republican-led states have already implemented near-total bans that were on the books before the decision to overturn Roe.
Indiana currently permits abortion up to 22 weeks after the last menstrual period, with several additional restrictions.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates-East were organizing a protest at the statehouse on Friday evening to oppose the Senate’s likely approval of the measure.
Earlier in the day, dozens of abortion rights advocates protested at the Capitol, chanting “Shame on you!” as members of the House passed the bill, according to video posted to Twitter.
“SB 1 is a cruel and dangerous attack on liberty and freedom. We won’t stop fighting until everyone can access the abortion care they need without politicians interfering,” the ACLU of Indiana wrote on Twitter.
The legislation seeks to terminate the licenses of abortion clinics and ban abortion in nearly all cases. It would make exceptions for abortion only “to prevent any serious health risk of the pregnant woman or to save the pregnant woman’s life,” in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities, or in cases of rape or incest.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Diane Craft)
NEWARK, NJ – Newark police are searching for three men wanted for inciting a riot.
According to Newark Public Safety Director Fitz Fragé, warrants have been issued for the arrests of Darnee Thomas, 33, and Isaiah Diggs, 22, in connection with inciting a riot on Friday, August 5, 2022.
At approximately 12:15 a.m., a police officer placing a suspect into his patrol car while making an arrest in the 400 block of Elizabeth Avenue was grabbed by a man at the scene.
“Another police officer intervened by attempting to free the officer, but the second officer was then strangled by the man who grabbed the officer. Because a crowd was gathering, a third officer attempting to control the crowd at the scene was struck on his left elbow,” police reported. “Detectives investigating these incidents identified Darnee Thomas and Isaiah Diggs as suspects. They obtained a warrant and both men are being sought for inciting a riot.”
Police also seek the public’s help in identifying the below-pictured third suspect who is being sought for inciting a riot and obstructing the administration of the law.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Philadelphia Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating missing juvenile Tyeshia Akines. Tyeshia, from the 1500 block of Fairmount Avenue, was last seen on July 30, 2022, at approximately 12:00 PM.
Tyeshia is 13 years old, 5’7″ tall, 125 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, light gray sweatpants, and black and white sneakers.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Tyeshia Akines is asked to contact Central Detectives at 215-686-3093 or dial 911.
PITTSBURGH, PA – Residents of the Homewood section of Pittsburgh were woken up early on Saturday morning to the sound of gunfire.
Pittsburgh Police responded to a nine-round ShotSpotter alert in the 7200 block of Formosa Way just before 4:30 a.m., but upon their arrival, found no victims.
“Officers located a crime scene but no victims at the location. A short time later two male gunshot victims were taken to the hospital by private means. One victim arrived in critical condition, the other in stable condition,” police said.
The Mobile Crime Unit processed the scene and the vehicle used to transport the victims to the hospital.
BALTIMORE, MD – A 14-year-old boy was shot early Saturday morning in Baltimore. At approximately 4:10 a.m., Northern District patrol officers responded to a home in the 600 block of McCabe Avenue, for a report of a shooting.
Once there, officers located a 14-year-old male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the leg.
The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Police have not released any detailed information regarding this shooting and at this time, no suspects have been identified.
Northern District detectives are asking anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2455 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.
HOLMDEL, NJ – Police in Holmdel have reported a burglary that occurred overnight and are asking neighbors to check their home video surveillance devices for evidence.
“Holmdel Police are investigating a residential burglary that occurred at 1025pm tonight on Tycor Run. If anyone observed any suspicious activity or has camera footage in the area please contact Holmdel PD,” the department said Friday night.
TAIPEI – The deputy head of Taiwan defence ministry’s research and development unit was found dead on Saturday morning in a hotel room, succumbing to a heart attack, according to the official Central News Agency.
Ou Yang Li-hsing, deputy head of the military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, had died in a hotel room in southern Taiwan, CNA reported.
Authorities said 57-year-old Ou Yang died of a heart attack and the hotel room showed no sign of any ‘intrusion’, CNA said. His family said he had a history of heart disease and had a cardiac stent, according to the report.
Ou Yang was on a business trip to the southern county of Pingtung, CNA said, adding that he had assumed the post early this year to supervise various missile production projects.
The military-owned body is working to more than double its yearly missile production capacity to close to 500 this year, as the island boosts its combat power amid what it sees as China’s growing military threat.
(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
By David Brunnstrom and Karen Lema
MANILA -Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured the Philippines on Saturday that the United States would come to its defence if attacked in the South China Sea, seeking to allay concerns about the extent of the U.S. commitment to a mutual defence treaty.
In meetings in Manila dominated by discussion on simmering U.S.-China tensions over the Taiwan visit of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Blinken said a 70-year-old defence pact with the Philippines was “ironclad”.
“An armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft will invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under that treaty,” Blinken told a news conference.
“The Philippines is an irreplaceable friend, partner, and ally to the United States.”
Blinken was the most senior U.S. official to meet new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the late strongman who Washington helped to flee into exile in Hawaii during a 1986 “people power” uprising that ended his two-decade rule.
In opening remarks to Blinken, Marcos sought to downplay the diplomatic flare-up over Taiwan and said he believed Pelosi’s trip “did not raise the intensity” of a situation that was already volatile.
“We have been at that level for a good while, but we have sort of got used to the idea,” Marcos said.
The Philippines is a fulcrum of the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China and Marcos faces a tricky challenge in balancing ties between the two major powers.
He will also face domestic pressure to stand up to China in the South China Sea, without angering its leadership.
U.S.-Philippines ties were shaken by predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s overtures towards China, his famous anti-U.S. rhetoric and threats to downgrade their military ties.
On Saturday, Philippines foreign secretary Enrique Manalo said President Joe Biden had invited Marcos to Washington, and both sides were working on a suitable date.
Marcos has not been to the United States in more than a decade, due largely to a contempt of court order for his refusal to cooperate with a Hawaii court, which in 1995 ordered the Marcos family to return $2 billion of missing state wealth to victims of abuses by the state under his father’s rule.
Marcos Jr and mother, Imelda, also face a $353 million fine.
The U.S. embassy in Manila has said heads of state have diplomatic immunity.
Manalo said Washington was an important ally, but concerning nearby Taiwan he told Blinken the Philippines “looks at the big powers to help calm the waters”.
“We can ill afford any further escalation of tensions,” he said.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty and Mike Harrison)
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON – Most electric-vehicle models would be ineligible for a $7,500 tax credit for U.S. buyers under a Democratic proposal in the U.S. Senate, a group of major automakers said on Friday.
Automakers have been privately expressing concern about the proposal’s increasing requirements for vehicles’ batteries and critical-mineral contents to be sourced from the United States.
John Bozzella, heads of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation that represents General Motors, Toyota Motor, and Ford Motor among others, said a July 27 proposal by Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin would make 70% of 72 U.S. electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell EVs ineligible upon passage.
“None would qualify for the full credit when additional sourcing requirements go into effect,” he said.
Car makers want significant changes to the proposal, which is part of a larger drug pricing, energy and tax bill.
Without the tax credit, the vehicles become more costly for American consumers, and this could impact demand and sales. It could also slow progress toward President Joe Biden’s target to have half of all new vehicles sold be electric or plug-in hybrid models in 2030.
An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday suggested just 11,000 new EVs would use the credit in 2023.
Manchin and Schumer’s offices did not immediately comment. The Senate could vote as soon as Saturday on the bill.
“I don’t believe that we should be building a transportation mode on the backs of foreign supply chains,” Manchin said on Tuesday.
The bill includes rising requirements for the percentage of battery components originating from North America based on value. After 2023, it would disallow batteries with any Chinese components.
“A more gradual phase-in of the battery component, critical mineral and final assembly requirements – that better reflect current geopolitical, sourcing and mineral extraction realities – will preserve the credit for millions of Americans,” Bozzella wrote.
Automakers want to expand countries from which batteries, battery components and critical minerals can be sourced to include NATO members, Japan and others.
The new EV tax credits, which would expire at the end of 2032, would be limited to trucks, vans and SUVs with suggested retail prices of no more than $80,000 and to cars priced at no more than $55,000. They would be limited to families with adjusted gross incomes of up to $300,000 annually.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
PHNOM PENH -A lack of trust and political will is stifling Myanmar’s peace process and the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN will keep shunning its ruling generals, unless they engage opponents and make concrete progress, a special regional envoy said on Saturday.
Prak Sokhonn, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and chair of this week’s regional foreign ministers’ meetings, said he would not give up on Myanmar, even though he had seen no willingness from any party to give up their fight.
Myanmar has been trapped in a spiral of violence since the military seized power last year and ended a decade of tentative democracy, triggering a backlash of protests, strikes and armed resistance that the generals have met with deadly force.
Prak Sokhonn said the junta’s recent execution of four activists tied to a militia movement was a major blow for any peace hopes and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed that without future progress, its position on Myanmar would have to be reconsidered.
“I haven’t seen any sign of will from all parties to stop the fight. The only way I see now is to continue to fight. Why? Because of the lack of trust,” he said.
“Without this trust, the fight will continue and the political process will never stop, because no one will come if they fear for their life.”
The junta has become an international outcast due to its fierce crackdown on its opponents. ASEAN has barred the military from representing Myanmar at international meetings until starts to implement a peace plan.
A United Nations-backed peace plan that Myanmar’s coup leader agreed to with ASEAN in 2021 has yet to move forward and remains the only diplomatic process in play.
In a statement late on Friday, Myanmar’s junta said ASEAN members should not interfere in its affairs, nor engage with “terrorists” opposed to its rule.
It said the military had always been clear that its commitment to the peace process would be determined by developments on the ground.
“ASEAN should respect the right of every member state and refrain from interference … subversion and coercion,” it said, adding the junta was making “notable progress” in peace efforts.
(Reporting by Jira[censored] Kuhakan; Writing and additional reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Kim Coghill)
