Author: i2wtc

Hundreds of people have rallied outside a New York City courtroom to demand the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose arrest over the weekend sparked condemnation and fears of a crackdown on free speech in the United States. The demonstrators gathered on Wednesday outside Manhattan’s federal court for the first formal hearing in Khalil’s case, as he faces possible deportation for his activism. “Release Mahmoud Khalil now!” they chanted. During the brief hearing, Khalil’s lawyer Ramzi Kassem said his client had been allowed just one call with his legal team from the detention centre where he is being held…

Former Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey, left, arrives at federal court, Nov. 22, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. On Monday, July 8, 2024, a federal appeals panel ruled to keep a 21-month prison sentence in place for the former Tennessee state senator who tried to withdraw his guilty plea on campaign finance law violations.Mark Humphrey | APPresident Donald Trump issued a pardon to former Tennessee state Sen. Brian Kelsey, just 15 days after that Republican began serving a 21-month prison sentence for a campaign finance conspiracy criminal conviction.”God used Donald Trump to save me,” Kelsey, 47, told CNBC in a phone interview…

Listen to article The passengers of the Jaffar Express, who were freed after being held hostage by terrorists, have shared their harrowing eyewitness accounts of the attack. One of the rescued passengers described the chaotic scene during the assault, stating that passengers were forced to lie on the floor of the train for protection. According to the passenger, gunshots and explosions were heard as the attack unfolded. The passenger also recalled that the attackers ordered everyone to disembark from the train, though many were hesitant. “I took my children and got off. I told myself that since they are telling us to…

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe Federal Trade Commission asked a judge in Seattle to delay the start of its trial accusing Amazon of duping consumers into signing up for its Prime program, citing resource constraints.Attorneys for the FTC made the request during a status hearing on Wednesday before Judge John Chun in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Chun had set a Sept. 22 start date for the trial.Jonathan Cohen, an attorney for the FTC, asked Chun for a two-month continuance on the case due to staffing and budgetary shortfalls.The FTC’s request comes amid a push by…

Just outside Austin, in Georgetown, Texas, brand new planned communities sprawl out as far as the eye can see, which is pretty far in this part of the country. But one small subdivision instantly draws focus. Just completed, it is now the world’s largest 3D-printed community.Two years ago, Lennar, the nation’s second-largest homebuilder, partnered with Icon, a 3D technology company, to print 100 homes in the Wolf Ranch development. The companies say about 75% of them have already sold.All the walls have rounded edges, as that’s how the printers navigate with the concrete. The layering process makes it feel like…

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, left, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai open the tech titan’s annual I/O developers conference focusing on how artificial intelligence is being woven into search, email, virtual meetings and more, May 14, 2024.Glenn Chapman | AFP | Getty ImagesGoogle is bringing its DeepMind artificial intelligence technology models into the physical world to power robots.The company on Wednesday debuted two new AI models, Gemini Robotics and Gemini Robotics-ER (extended reasoning). They both run on Gemini 2.0, which Google calls its “most capable” AI to date. Gemini Robotics goes beyond outputs like text and images, where generative AI has…

Listen to article The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rejected Pakistan’s request to grant tax exemptions for foreign investment projects, Express News reported on Wednesday citing sources. The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) had sought the exemptions during a detailed briefing to the IMF delegation, arguing that tax relief would help attract foreign investors. However, the global lender refused the request, maintaining its stance on fiscal discipline. During the briefing, SIFC officials presented investment opportunities, governance structures, and infrastructure plans. A key focus was the proposed railway project linking Chagai to Gwadar, intended to facilitate the transportation of minerals from the Reko Diq…

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has accepted a 30-day ceasefire with Russia after critical peace talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia. Washington has, in turn, lifted its pause on military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. After eight hours of negotiations in the port city of Jeddah, the terms of peace were jointly signed and will be presented to Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who represented Washington in Saudi Arabia, said. The ball is now in Moscow’s court, said Rubio. Here is what we know about the deal that was struck –…

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched three years ago has ravaged much of the war-torn nation and killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians. Both sides have lost enormous numbers of soldiers. But now on the streets in Russia, some feel hopeful about a possible end to the war and Western-imposed sanctions. Some are optimistic that the hostility with the United States, at its peak under former President Joe Biden, could end as President Donald Trump’s administration works to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table. Fearing reprisals, some of those interviewed in Russia for this article refused to provide their…

Listen to article A Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has resulted in the death of a 47-year-old woman and left at least nine others wounded, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak. The strike, which also damaged various infrastructure, high-rise apartments, administrative buildings, a shop, and an educational facility, was confirmed in a statement posted on Telegram. Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian forces since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago. This latest assault occurred just after US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia,…