Department program

A cache of previously unseen police files from Xinjiang has brought to light further details about the Chinese government's systemic internment of Muslims, in what a leading researcher has described as "most likely the largest incarceration of an ethno-religious minority since the Holocaust." The file dump, which follows a hack into a Xinjiang police database, includes key speeches by senior officials responsible for running the region's "re-education" camps, which officials in Beijing have described as vocational training centers. The files also contain mugshots of more than 2,800 detainees, among them 15 minors. The Xinjiang police files , authenticated research coordinated by Dr. Adrian Zenz , were published on Tuesday as the United Nations ' top rights official, Michelle Bachelet, begins a highly watched six-day visit to China to assess its human rights condition. Zenz, director of China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation NGO, is among the leading … [Read more...] about Xinjiang police files reveal horrors of China’s Uyghur internment camps

San Francisco voters may decide this fall whether to set aside $70 million per year to finance new programs in the city school system that backers hope will boost enrollment and improve the quality of public pre-K-12 education. Supervisor Hillary Ronen and five colleagues on the Board of Supervisors are proposing a City Charter amendment that would fund public school initiatives designed to enhance academic achievement or student wellness. Those could include accelerated math and literacy curriculum as well as academic specialists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, after-school programs, athletic or artistic offerings, and more. The 25-year fund would use money from existing state property taxes — voters would not be asked to raise any new public dollars if the charter amendment makes it to the November ballot. The proposal is also an effort to shore up the San Francisco Unified School District after it was battered by the pandemic and a series of controversies that … [Read more...] about S.F. schools could get $70 million per year more if voters back proposal

Roger Stone is not cooperating. But soon, he might not have a choice. On Monday, Justice Department prosecutors asked a federal judge to compel Stone and his wife to turn over all of their financial statements and bank account information from 2017 to the present. The request is part of a tax evasion lawsuit brought against the Stones last year. But for the MAGA world’s preeminent cocktail-clutching coxcomb, it could carry ramifications well beyond the IRS. The judge’s order would force the Stones to disclose a potential treasure trove of evidence. Prosecutors would obtain records of any financial activity of Stone tied to the Jan. 6 riot and “Stop the Steal” efforts, as well as potential payments from pardon-seekers, politicians, and private boosters—and, possibly, information about accounts that the Stones haven’t yet disclosed. So far, however, the Stones have refused to comply. Federal prosecutors filed the multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Stones last … [Read more...] about How a Tax Case Could Force Roger Stone to Cough Up Jan. 6 Records

Scientists have created a battery -like device that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the surrounding atmosphere while it charges. The supercapacitor, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, is around the size of a two-pence coin and can be built using low-cost and sustainable materials like coconut shells and seawater. It is hoped the device can be used to power carbon capture technologies, which currently require huge amounts of energy and are costly to operate. The supercapacitor is similar to a rechargeable battery, but rather than using chemical reactions to store and release charge it relies instead on the movement of electrons between electrodes. It is made up of two electrodes, one positively charged and the other negatively charged. By alternating from a postive to a negative voltage, the researchers were able to significantly improve the amount of CO2 it was able to capture. Recommended World record achieved for solar power … [Read more...] about Breakthrough battery device absorbs C02 while it charges

"You didn't want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons," a reporter, addressing President Joe Biden , stated in a press conference in Tokyo on Monday. "Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, if it comes to that?" "Yes," said Biden. "That's the commitment we made," the president explained after the reporter expressed skepticism. "We agree with the 'one-China' policy; we've signed on to it and all the attendant agreements made from there. But the idea that—that it can be taken by force—just taken by force—is just not appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine. And so, it's a burden that's even stronger." A White House official, speaking anonymously to The Washington Post , then said there was no change in American policy, maintaining that the president had merely repeated a pledge, in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, to give Taiwan the military means to … [Read more...] about Biden’s Taiwan policy: overruled by China—and the White House | Opinion

The grandmother of a 7-year-old girl mauled to death by a dog has been charged with the child's murder. Other relatives—including little Olivia Floyd's parents—are also facing charges connected to the youngster's death in Waynesboro, Virginia. Grandmother Penny Lee Bashlor, 64, and her husband Stephen Christopher Kachmar, 60, who was the girl's step-grandfather, were both told they faced a string of charges, including murder, on Friday, May 13, according to local police. The child was allegedly attacked by the couple's 4-year-old Rottweiler on January 29 in the 200 block of Parker Heights Road. She was rushed to Augusta Health but medics were unable to save her and she died from her injuries. The Rottweiler was seized by officers from Waynesboro Police Department and was later euthanized. An unnamed woman was also injured in the attack , according to local news station WHSV. She was reportedly treated for her injuries at the hospital. A joint statement released by … [Read more...] about Grandmother of girl mauled to death by dog charged with murder

The deliberately vague U.S. position on its willingness to defend Taiwan isn't gone, Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday, 24 hours after pledging a military intervention if the democratic island were to be attacked by China. The president answered "no" when asked in Tokyo whether his calmly spoken commitment to defend Taiwan had broken the policy known as "strategic ambiguity," which for more than 40 years has seen past presidents and officials purposely skate around the question of possibly deploying American forces to the Taiwan Strait. "The policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday," Biden said, according to reporters covering the final day of the first Asia tour of his presidency. The policy Biden referenced on Monday was the U.S.'s "one China" policy , which recognizes the legitimacy of the Chinese government in Beijing, but acknowledges—rather than recognizes or accepts—the position that Taiwan is part of China . Among the … [Read more...] about Joe Biden says no change in U.S. ambiguity on Taiwan defense

A prominent anchor on Russian state television has warned that its country's forces are "never leaving" Ukraine. The comments by Vladimir Solovyov on Russia-1 suggest that state-backed television is pushing the line that Vladimir Putin 's war in Ukraine is likely to be a lengthy one. As Newsweek has previously reported , guests on Russia-1's programs get their talking points from the Kremlin. On Sunday, Solovyov said that the troops in the pro-Russian self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics are "fighting for their land" in the Donbas region, he then went on to ask what is the Ukrainian territorial defense fighting for when "none of it is their land." After withdrawing from the Kyiv region, Putin's campaign has focused on Donbas in Ukraine's east where Russian forces have stepped up their bombardment beyond the frontlines. "We are telling people, come to your senses," Solovyov continued , "We're telling people, remember who you are. Look who conquered … [Read more...] about “We’re never leaving”: Russian TV pundits warn of lengthy Ukraine conflict

The downside of taking a vacation? Missing your pets, of course. But Cristy Alfaro from San Francisco has it all figured out. Recently sharing a trip to El Salvador with her 2-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Kobe, Alfaro told us about the pair's adorable trip. Alfaro has family in El Salvador and tries to visit them every year. "It's a lovely place to visit and take you out from your routine," she told Newsweek : "I have Kobe as an emotional support for my stress. He's been trained since he was 2 months old, but I decided to take him with me as a regular pet because I didn't want to deal with doctor's appointments, because of the situation with COVID it takes days to get appointments and the doctor's letter has to be up-to-date to travel with emotional support." Not wanting to leave him alone and stress either of them, Alfaro decided to take him with her. In a series of adorable pictures, Kobe can be seen waiting in the airport wearing a Hawaiian shirt and backpack, and later … [Read more...] about Adorable Yorkshire Terrier goes on holiday wearing Hawaiian shirt, backpack

The sixth-generation Honda CR-V will debut this summer. Ahead of its reveal, the automaker is teasing a fresh image of the model and billing it as "rugged" and "sophisticated". Small design cues are seen in the two mages supplied by the company as a preview of what can be expected when the new model is shown in full. The first image, which features the 2023 Honda CR-V's face, shows off a black grille featuring a hexagonal design that has a Honda emblem at its center. Slim headlights with a narrow daytime running light sit on the corners, their housing meshed with the black grille surround. The lower half of the front features a number of sensors, silver vent covers, and additional black surface area. Second and third photos provided by the automaker shows off a new lighting signature for the automaker that sees the red of the light extend onto the tailgate in a curved pattern. Those taillights extend up the side of the body of the CR-V, extending up near the roof in Volvo … [Read more...] about Next-generation Honda CR-V teased as freshly ‘rugged’ and ‘sophisticated’