
Sudan conflict: Call for gravediggers in Omdurman as fighting intensifies
Residents of the Khartoum area are shaken by an intense wave of bombing targeting paramilitary forces.
2023-08-09 22:48

New College of Florida enters agreement with US Department of Education over alleged civil rights violation
The New College of Florida said it has entered an agreement with the US Department of Education regarding a federal investigation launched earlier this month into allegations of discrimination based on disability.
2023-09-30 09:27

Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis
The Walt Disney Company has pulled the plug on a $1bn office complex in Orlando, following a warning from Disney leadership that billions of dollars in projects were on the line after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis escalated his feud with the company. The development scheduled for construction in the Orlando area was set to bring 2,000 jobs to the region, with 1,000 employees expected to be relocated from southern California. In an email to employees on 18 May, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chair Josh D’Amaro pointed to “changing business conditions” for the cancellation of the 60-acre Lake Nona Town Center project, according to The New York Times, which first reported the move. “I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business,” he added, noting that the company has still planned $17bn in projects over the next decade its Disney World campus. “I hope we’re able to,” he said. For years, Florida legislators and the governor’s office enjoyed a close relationship with the state’s largest taxpayers, among the state’s largest employers, which has wielded enormous political influence while bringing in billions of dollars to the state each year. Now, the company and DeSantis allies are suing one another, following a year-long feud over opposition to what opponents have called Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law that boiled over into political and legal battles that could shape the company’s business in the state. Moments after board appointed by Mr DeSantis voted to strip the company’s control of its Florida park, Disney filed a federal lawsuit against the governor and state officials alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” for “expressing a political viewpoint.” The lawsuit follows the governor’s state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, now the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, made up of conservative activists and DeSantis loyalists, a move that followed Florida Republicans’ punitive measures against the company after its public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Days later, the board voted to sue Disney in state court. In March, Disney slammed the governor’s “anti-business” approach to the company, which Mr DeSantis has accused of advancing a “woke agenda” while his administration targets LGBT+ people and their families with sweeping laws to control public school education, healthcare access and speech. The governor dissolved a decades-old municipal district that allowed Disney to control its own land use, zoning rules and public services, without putting a tax burden on Florida residents. In effect, Disney taxed itself to foot the district’s bill for its municipal needs. “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” Disney CEO Bob Iger said on a conference call with analysts last week. A statement from Disney said the company has decided to pull out of the new campus construction “given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions.” The “Parental Rights in Education Act” – what opponents have called “Don’t Say Gay” – prohibits instruction of “sexual orientation or gender identity” from kindergarten through the third grade and any such discussion “that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students” in other grades. The governor recently expanded the law to explicitly extend such restrictions to all grades. Critics have warned that the broadly written law threatens to freeze classroom speech involving LGBT+ people and issues, from civil rights history lessons to discussion of LGBT+ students, school staff and their families. Following passage of the Florida law, lawmakers across the US and in Congress have introduced similar legislation, including more than two dozen measures in current legislative sessions. Read More DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse ‘We will not be erased’: Critics slam Ron DeSantis for unprecedented bills attacking LGBTQ+ people Penguin Random House sues Florida school district over ‘unconstitutional’ book bans Florida teacher under investigation for showing Disney movie with LGBT+ character speaks out
2023-05-19 03:45

Hurricane Otis rapidly strengthens off Mexico's Pacific coast as it heads toward Acapulco
Hurricane Otis has strengthened from tropical storm to a major hurricane in a matter of hours as it approaches Mexico’s southern Pacific coast where it was forecast to make landfall near the resort of Acapulco early Wednesday
2023-10-25 05:16

Reports say Russell Brand interviewed by British police over claims of sexual offenses
Comedian Russell Brand has been interviewed by British police over three alleged sexual offenses
2023-11-20 04:26

Taiwan Candidate Says He Still Hates Party He’ll Run With
A top candidate for president in Taiwan says he still strongly dislikes the party he’s teaming up with,
2023-11-16 14:28

'Whoopi said something about the glasses’: ‘The View’ star Joy Behar recalls co-host's bizarre off-air request to fan
She disclosed that Goldberg had managed to persuade a fan to gift her a pair of glasses
2023-11-11 11:59

Cities have long made plans for extreme heat. Are they enough in a warming world?
With Earth breaking average heat records, cities are sure to be giving a fresh look at their readiness plans for temperatures that can kill
2023-07-09 13:59

'Too old for him': Leonardo DiCaprio trolled for hanging out with 28-year-old model Neelam Gill
Leonardo DiCaprio was seen enjoying a night out with a group of friends including Neelam Gill and his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken
2023-06-03 19:59

Travis King arrives back on US soil from N Korea
The US soldier had illegally crossed into North Korea in July and had been held there since.
2023-09-28 17:23

Mass shooting at youth community event in Seattle leaves five injured, two critically
Five people were injured during a Friday mass shooting in Seattle. The violence unfolded during a community event, Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Diaz said during a press conference. Four of the victims were males and one of them was a female. Authorities said it is unclear at this time whether the shooting was targeted. “We know that there’s dozens and dozens of rounds that were fired,” Mr Diaz said. “We have five victims. Two are in critical condition. Three appear to be stable.” The chief of police said this year the department has recovered the highest number of guns in 15 years. “The gun violence issues that we have in our city, we’ve seen it rise and sometimes slow down at times, but right now we’ve really got to get guns off our streets,” he said. Read More Video captures police confronting white woman moments after she shot Black neighbour in row over children playing
2023-07-29 21:55

Who is Martin Taccetta? Real-life Tony Soprano who spent decades behind bars claims dental records were switched to frame him
Martin Taccetta claims that the assistant attorney general who prosecuted him in 1993 hid from him an FBI report that concluded his dental records
2023-10-22 05:48
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