All posts tagged: troubled

As Assad falls, the power dynamics of this troubled, volatile region will utterly change

As Assad falls, the power dynamics of this troubled, volatile region will utterly change

Published by Sam

Seismic is an overused word. Not when it comes to events currently under way in Syria, a country straddling the fault lines of the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime will be the most significant event yet in the upheaval that’s followed the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel last year. Syria latest: President Assad reported to have fled It will be the end of a brutal reign of terror that has lasted since the Assad family, under patriarch Hafez Assad, seized power in the early 1970s. And the end of a devastating civil war that has raged since 2011. The Assads maintained their grip on Syria with diabolical cynicism. They used massacre and torture, chemical weapons and barrel bombs to secure their rule for more than half a century. But they also cleverly leveraged their country’s pivotal position to secure support from willing allies. Iran backed the regime in return for help propping up Tehran’s axis of terror across the Middle East. Syria has been used as a base for Iranian …

Two astronauts left behind on ISS as troubled Boeing Starliner capsule lands on Earth empty | Science & Tech News

Two astronauts left behind on ISS as troubled Boeing Starliner capsule lands on Earth empty | Science & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which has been plagued with problems, has returned to Earth, leaving two astronauts behind on the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft – running on autopilot – parachuted into the New Mexico desert six hours after setting out. Cameras caught the capsule as a white streak coming in for the touchdown at 11.01pm local time (5.01am on Saturday UK time), which drew cheers from Boeing’s Mission Control. NASA judged it too risky for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to get back into the spacecraft. It means they’ll remain on the ISS until February, more than eight months after blasting off on what should have been a quick trip lasting just eight days. Shortly after Boeing’s long-delayed capsule was launched in orbit in June, issues were spotted before it arrived at the space station involving multiple thruster failures and propulsion-system helium leaks. Image: The Starliner spacecraft landed empty at White Sands, New Mexico. Pic: AP/Nasa Image: The capsule was checked after landing. Pic: AP/Nasa Boeing carried out extensive thruster tests in space and …

The troubled UK jail where nine prisoners have died in just 10 weeks | UK | News

The troubled UK jail where nine prisoners have died in just 10 weeks | UK | News

Published by skeptic

Two inmates at HMP Parc prison died within minutes of each other in unconnected incidents, elevating the death count to nine within just two months. A teenager named Michael Horton and a convicted murderer, David Maggs, were the latest deaths at the troubled UK prison on Tuesday, May 7. In a statement, the representative from HMP Parc, managed by G4S, commented: “Mr David Maggs, aged 73, passed away on Tuesday, May 7. His next of kin has been informed and our thoughts are with his family and friends. “Mr Michael Horton, aged 19, passed away on Tuesday, May 7. His next of kin has been informed and our thoughts are with his loved ones.” The spokesperson assured that “their deaths were unrelated”, adding: “Family liaison officers are supporting the families. As with all deaths in custody these will be investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.” A South Wales Police spokesman added: “South Wales Police was called between 12.20am and 12.55am on Tuesday, May 7, with reports of two sudden deaths at HMP Parc of …

DEA’s big marijuana shift could be a lifeline for California’s troubled pot industry

DEA’s big marijuana shift could be a lifeline for California’s troubled pot industry

Published by skeptic

If the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified marijuana as a less dangerous drug, it wouldn’t eliminate the conflicts between the feds and states such as California that have legalized many uses of the substance. But it would bring one significant shift that could give California’s licensed pot companies a badly needed boost: a lighter tax burden. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving marijuana from the list of Schedule I drugs, which includes heroin and cocaine, to Schedule III drugs, which include ketamine and anabolic steroids. The proposal would still have to be reviewed and endorsed by the White House as well as be made available for public comment. Industry insiders say the move, if approved, could become a lifeline to California’s struggling cannabis industry. “We’ve been anticipating this,” said Meital Manzuri, an attorney whose firm specializes in the cannabis industry. “This is big for the industry.” Lawful in California but illegal under federal law, the state’s cannabis industry has operated in a difficult legal limbo. Stores and farms …

A look at Mike Johnson and the troubled history of Republican speakers

A look at Mike Johnson and the troubled history of Republican speakers

Published by skeptic

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson attends a news conference at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Julia Nikhinson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Julia Nikhinson/AFP via Getty Images Speaker of the House Mike Johnson attends a news conference at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Julia Nikhinson/AFP via Getty Images When the House returns from its recess next week, Speaker Mike Johnson is now widely expected to resume his duties without immediately facing a motion to oust him. Just such a “motion to vacate the chair” was filed against Johnson in March by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. But Greene has yet to make the motion “privileged,” which under the rules would necessitate a vote within two days. Greene had vowed to press her challenge after Johnson announced a strategy to pass $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this month. About two-thirds of that money was for Ukraine, an issue Greene had called her “red line” for moving against the speaker. Two colleagues had spoken up to say …

Football coaching boosts wellbeing of troubled pupils, study finds | Schools

Football coaching boosts wellbeing of troubled pupils, study finds | Schools

Published by skeptic

Intensive mentoring for troubled schoolchildren using football kickabouts can significantly enhance wellbeing, increasing happiness equivalent to an unemployed adult getting a job, a study has found. A project involving more than 2,000 pupils in dozens of secondary schools in Greater Manchester showed that instead of wellbeing declining among pupils at risk of exclusion who had behavioural issues and special educational needs, their happiness scores increased. The charity behind the approach, Football Beyond Borders (FBB), sends mentors, or “coaches”, into schools to act as trusted adults for at-risk children. Part of the coaches’ work is using aspects of football games – such as dealing with anger at being fouled or the pressure of taking a penalty – to teach children how to cope and build better relationships. The results have caught the attention of Lord O’Donnell, a former head of the civil service, who is lobbying Keir Starmer to measure all policy choices by their impact on wellbeing if Labour forms the next government. An assessment of the project by Pro Bono Economics, chaired by O’Donnell, …

Paris Hilton backs California bill aimed at ‘troubled teen industry’

Paris Hilton backs California bill aimed at ‘troubled teen industry’

Published by skeptic

SACRAMENTO —  The celebrity hotel heiress once known for her high-profile nightclub appearances has turned her attention to a much more staid venue: the California state Capitol. Paris Hilton is supporting Senate Bill 1043, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) and joint-authored by two Democratic lawmakers, which would require residential treatment facilities to report to parents and the state government when they use restraints or seclusion rooms in disciplining minors. It’s the latest move in what’s become Hilton’s political focal point in recent years as she’s positioned herself as a voice for youths who have endured abuse at the hands of teen treatment centers. Hilton has traveled to Washington, D.C., and Utah to push for tougher regulations on residential treatment programs. Today she is scheduled to testify in support of the new legislation in Sacramento. “As a survivor of the ‘Troubled Teen Industry,’ I am proud to partner with Sen. Shannon Grove … to bring much-needed transparency to California youth facilities,” Hilton said in a statement. The bill aims to protect children and young adults housed …

“Long Troubled” CarePoint New Jersey Hospitals To Undergo Financial Restructuring

“Long Troubled” CarePoint New Jersey Hospitals To Undergo Financial Restructuring

Published by skeptic

It looks like high interest rate market shocks and the commercial real estate dumpster fire have only just begun. The latest example of volatility comes from New Jersey hospital operator CarePoint Health. The operator owns three hospitals, including the 261-bed Bayonne Medical Center, as well as Hoboken University Medical Center and Christ Hospital in Jersey City, according to Bloomberg/Yahoo Finance.  Michigan-based Insight has stepped in to try and help financially stabilize the network and then rebrand under the Insight name.  Dr. Achintya Moulick, CarePoint’s chief executive officer said last week: “Throughout these past challenging months, CarePoint Health has remained resolute and focused on its mission of providing excellent patient-centered care to the people of Hudson County, and our collaboration with the Insight team has been extraordinarily helpful.” Moulick continued: “Ensuring that our system’s safety net hospitals receive the investment they need to operate sustainably both now and well into the future remains our top priority, and we are exploring various options to meet that goal.” The report notes that hospitals continue to face high costs for staffing and supplies, impacting even renowned institutions. The …

Troubled Thames Water seeks way forward as shareholders refuse to pump in more cash

Troubled Thames Water seeks way forward as shareholders refuse to pump in more cash

Published by skeptic

Troubles at Thames Water, the UK’s largest water company, are continuing after investors said they would not give the company £500 million of extra cash by the end of this month. The company, which serves 15 million customers in Swindon and Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and London, has over £18 billion in debt and needs huge investment to improve its ageing infrastructure as well as to pay fines. READ MORE: Thames Water secures £750 million cash injection from shareholders Thames wants Ofwat to agree to putting up customers’ water bills over the next five years amid the company’s turnaround plan, but reportedly, the regulator is not prepared to do that. On Thursday, it emerged that shareholders, which include large pension funds and Chinese and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds, are worried that conditions imposed by Ofwat had made Thames Water “uninvestible” and are withholding a first payment of £500 million due at the end of March – part of a commitment made last summer to pump £750 million this year into the beleaguered company. The …

Will the 2024 Olympics change image of Paris region’s troubled Seine-Saint-Denis?

Will the 2024 Olympics change image of Paris region’s troubled Seine-Saint-Denis?

Published by Sam

Less than 500 metres separate the Stade de France — the sparkling centrepiece of the Paris Olympics — and the crumbling Francs-Moisins estate plagued by poverty and crime. Samia Achoui, a secretary who lives in one of the grey blocks dogged by drug dealing, doesn’t have a ticket to see the Games. Instead she will listen from her window to the cheers and applause echoing over the canal. Despite its name, the Paris Olympics will take place mostly in Seine-Saint-Denis on the other side of the “peripherique” ring road that divides the French capital from some of its poorest and most notorious suburbs, known as banlieues. The densely populated working-class department north of Paris hosts four of the Games’ big venues, the athletes’ village and other key Olympic sites. Paris’s pitch for the Games — which run from July 26 to August 11 — leaned hard on regenerating an area that has absorbed wave after wave of immigration and has the country’s youngest population. A third of its 1.6 million people lives below the poverty …