People are not the only ones who are determined.

Ukraine’s transport infrastructure has held up despite several direct attacks during the conflict – and transport is likely to be a key factor in any disaster response. When the Nova Khakovka dam broke on Tuesday, the government was able to evacuate people from the flooded area by train to the city of Mykolaiv.

“Local civil society, the authorities, the private sector – these things are undervalued in a crisis,” said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and former United Nations humanitarian coordinator. “They’re top of the line right there.”

Ukraine, Mr. Egeland said there is “more logistics, more trained personnel and more volume in the market” for aid work.

On Thursday, the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, called for a major global response to the dam’s destruction. To date, the United Nations has distributed more than 100,000 bottles of water and provided food assistance to 18,000 people and cash assistance to 3,500 people, said Jens Lark, spokesman for its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Conducting evacuations and providing clean water is one of the most important needs in a flood zone, but the task is complicated. Russian forces are still shelling Ukrainian-controlled areas on the east bank of the Dnipro. And some residents, who have been under attack for months following a months-long occupation, have no desire to leave.

Selena Kozakijevic, Ukraine regional manager for international aid organization CARE, said many of those living near the riverbank were elderly and suffered from ill health and disabilities.

“Many still refuse to leave their homes, even though they are flooded,” he said. “This is the population that has been there since the beginning of the conflict.”

Even after the floods recede, other hazards remain for months or years, including contaminated water and landmines drifting from their original positions.

Ukrainian aid groups and most international humanitarian organizations working in Ukraine work primarily with nationals who have the advantage of speaking the language, understanding the country, and often familiarity with the affected area.

However, Ukrainian responders in the immediate vicinity often face the added challenge of being caught up in the disaster they are responding to.

Even the best-prepared countries struggle to manage major disasters alone, Mr. He cited Turkey as an example of a country with a strong emergency preparedness sector that was hard-pressed to cope after the February earthquake that killed 60,000 people.

More money will come.

Disaster-affected countries need financial assistance to overcome the immediate crisis and provide long-term support. In this way, the international visibility that the war has already brought to Ukraine has made it easier for aid groups to raise funds.

In an effort to draw attention to other crises in which large numbers of people have been forced to flee their homes, the Norwegian Refugee Council last week published a list The World’s 10 Most Neglected Migration Crises All 10 countries were in Africa or Latin America, with Burkina Faso topping the list.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas businessman at the center of a scandal that led to a historic indictment State Attorney General Ken Paxton was charged Friday with making false statements to mortgage lenders to obtain $172 million in loans.

The federal indictment of real estate developer Nate Ball was the result of a years-long FBI investigation — an investigation that included Paxton’s office and set off a chain of events that eventually led to his firing and suspension. From office last month.

Paul was charged with eight counts of making false statements when obtaining loans from mortgage lenders in the United States and Ireland. No mention was made of Paxton or the Attorney General’s Office during the hearing.

Ball, 36, who entered the federal courtroom wearing jeans, a blue shirt and Nikes, did not enter a plea during his first appearance in an Austin court or respond publicly when the charges were read. He was released ahead of trial but ordered to surrender his passport and notify the court of any travel outside Texas.

Paul “is adamant that he is not guilty,” defense attorney Jerry Morris said after questioning, adding that he did not know when his client had last spoken to Paxton. Paxton’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Paul is accused of overstating his assets and understating his debts, including providing false and falsified records to financial institutions while applying for loans in 2017 and 2018. In one case, prosecutors said Paul told banks he had $18 million in an account when he had less than $13,000. In another case outlined in the 23-page indictment, Paul is accused of having $28 million in loans, but paying the credit union a much lower figure in 2018.

In 2019, FBI agents investigating Paul’s complex real estate empire raided his Austin offices and palatial home.. The next year, Paxton’s eight Top representatives of the Attorney General filed a complaint with the FBI over allegations of bribery and abuse of office, including the hiring of an outside attorney. To investigate claims of developer wrongdoing by federal agents.

The allegations by Paxton’s staff sparked an FBI investigation that is ongoing and was central to 20 articles of impeachment overwhelmingly approved by the GOP-led state House of Representatives.. These include abuse of public trust, ineligibility for office and bribery.

Paxton was accused of using his office to aid Paul in unproven claims of an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million in developer assets. In return, the developer hired a woman with whom Paxton had an extramarital affair, according to bribery accounts. And paid for expensive renovations To the Attorney General’s Million Dollar Austin Home.

Paxton’s attorneys this week sought to refute the latter claim by releasing a bank statement that allegedly involved a 2020 wire transfer showing Paxton, but not a donor, paid more than $120,000 to renovate a home. But the document raised new questions About the actions of men.

The wire exchange was dated October 1, 2020 — the same day Paxton’s representatives signed a letter informing the head of human resources at the Texas Attorney General’s office that they had reported their employer to the FBI. The $121,000 payment was made to Cupertino Builders, whose manager worked for Paul and had an email address with his company, state corporation and court records.

Paul faced numerous lawsuits from creditors and business partners over the years, and many of his companies filed for bankruptcy or were placed under the supervision of court-appointed receivers. Last year, one of those receivers wrote in a statement that Cupertino Builders was used for “fraudulent transfers” from Paul’s business.

Paul Paxton has denied paying bribes. The attorney general has also broadly denied wrongdoing and said he expects to be exonerated during an impeachment trial in the state Senate, where his wife is a member.

Because Paxton is only the third officer in Texas history to be impeached, the Senate will set its own rules for a hearing with little precedent. The action will start after August 28.

Paxton was indicted separately on securities fraud charges in 2015, though he has yet to stand trial.

___

Bleiberg reported from Dallas.

Smoke from wildfires raging in Canada has spread further south and west, and New York and the nearby Northeast coast are getting a brief respite as pollution levels drop slightly.

The city has been shrouded in an orange haze for two days.

Pollution in New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia is still at “unhealthy” levels, but has been reduced from the “code purple” seen on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wildfire smoke is now expected to reach states as far south as Georgia and Louisiana, while moving as far west as Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and Illinois.

At least 13 states have issued air quality warnings, affecting 115 million people.

Schools in New York switched to remote classes on Friday, while baseball games were postponed and many restaurants closed as smoke billowed from Canada’s devastating wildfires.

More than 400 wildfires have forced evacuations in the province of Quebec.

With 6.7 million acres already burned, Canadian officials warn this could be the country’s worst wildfire season.

LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) – Borrowing costs in government bond markets rose and stock markets rallied on Thursday after a surprise interest rate hike in Canada gave investors a second reminder of the week that the rise in global interest rates is not done yet.

Asian markets struggled overnight and a cautious mood continued in Europe, with London’s FTSE (.FTSE), Germany’s DAX (.GADXI) and France’s CAC40 (.FCHI) rising steadily after starting in the red.

Traders are being driven by a broad reassessment in bond markets of when and where interest rates will peak in the world’s biggest economies.

In an almost carbon copy of a surprise rate hike in Australia this week, Canada did not spare markets by raising its interest rates to a 22-year high of 4.75% amid an overheated economy and stubbornly high inflation.

US 10-year Treasury yields, a gauge of global borrowing costs, returned above 3.8%, while in Europe Germany’s 2-year yield rose to 3% for the first time since March, albeit briefly.

“The main theme for everything out there is bond selling and a pause (in central banks’ rate hike cycles) doesn’t mean the end,” said Societe Generale strategist Kit Jukes.

“We are certainly revising rate expectations higher,” he added, adding that traders are now questioning the long-held view that the US Federal Reserve will end its rate hike cycle before the European Central Bank.

The Fed, ECB and Bank of Japan have interest rate decisions next week.

Tapas Strickland, NAB’s head of market economics, said steps from the BoC and RBA meant Tuesday’s US inflation data meant the central bank would hike this month or avoid a widely expected move.

The dollar fell slightly on Thursday but was near a three-month high following gains of more than 2.5% against other major world currencies in the past month.

Markets are now pricing in a 64% chance of the Fed standing pat next week, compared with 78% a day earlier, the CME FedWatch tool showed. Traders are widely expecting a 25 basis point hike in July.

“The view here is that if both Australia and Canada feel the need for further hikes, then in all probability the central bank will as well,” said Chris Turner, head of markets at ING.

Attempt method

Overnight in Asia, both Chinese shares (.SSEC) and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (.HSI) fell again, still feeling the effects of Wednesday’s slide in export data — a 7.5% year-on-year drop and the biggest drop since January.

“Weak export numbers will have observers looking for a fresh round of policy stimulus,” Saxo Markets strategists said.

The yen strengthened 0.2% to 139.80 per dollar after showing that Japan’s economy grew more than initially thought in January-March.

The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six major peers, was down 0.1% in European trade. The euro rose 0.15% to $1.0717, while the Canadian dollar consolidated gains after the BoC’s surprise hike.

Among commodities, U.S. crude was down 0.25% at $72.37 a barrel, while Brent was down 0.25% at $76.76.

Gold prices were steady after a 1% decline in the previous session, with spot gold up 0.3% at $1,945.89 an ounce.

Among emerging markets, Turkey’s lira, another record low. The lira saw a 7% drop on Wednesday, signs that Tayyip Erdogan’s newly re-elected government is abandoning an 18-month strategy of keeping the currency on a tight leash.

“The point is that it (the lira) was artificially stable for so long before the elections,” said SEB’s chief emerging market strategist Eric Meyerson, who also pointed to ongoing questions over Turkey’s economic policies.

Additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Toby Chopra

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Lionel Messi is coming to America

to play football.

I know it’s wrong, but it’s true: The most decorated player in sports history is taking his talents to South Beach, agreeing to a multi-year contract. Inter Miami MLS Messi also confirmed it.

“I decided I was going to go to Miami,” Messi said in Spanish A brief video posted by Diario Sport on Wednesday, a Spanish sports daily. “I am not 100% finalized yet. We are missing some things. But we have decided to continue on this path.

It’s a path that could prove transformative for MLS, which is already the fastest-growing top-tier soccer league in the world.

Jorge Mas, Inter Miami’s CEO and managing owner, teased the announcement by posting a stylish picture of Messi’s number-10 Inter Miami jersey. on his social media account The league issued a two-sentence statement with a cautious optimism.

“We are delighted that Lionel Messi has stated his intention to join Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer this summer,” it said. “While work remains to be done to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest football players of all time to our league.”

MLS Since David Beckham’s arrival in 2007, it has doubled from 12 to 30 teams and expansion fees have gone from $10 million to half a billion dollars over that span. Last year MLS had the sixth-highest average attendance of any soccer league on the planet, and with the World Cup returning to North America in three years, the sport will be the first to break through the crowded sports landscape in the United States.

Messi will supercharge that drive.

Seven-time World Player of the Year Messi, who will turn 36 later this month and led Argentina to its first World Cup title in 36 years last fall, is missing his resume. In 17 seasons with Barcelona, ​​he won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns, while leading Europe’s top leagues in goalscoring six times. He has been in France for the past two years, winning two league championships with Paris Saint-Germain and scoring 806 goals for club and country, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo of all time.

Barcelona have failed to lure Messi back for an encore, with club president Joan Laborta saying the player’s decision was announced on Monday. The team on Wednesday released a statement that appeared to be disparaging of MLS, saying it “respects Messi’s decision to compete in a league with fewer demands, more attention and away from the pressure he has experienced in recent years.”

The player, who two years ago spent $7.2 million to buy the entire ninth floor of a luxury condo tower in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., seemed to back that sentiment, telling Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo that he wanted to “get out of Europe. Get out of the spotlight and be more about my family.” Think about it.

“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, ​​it was my turn to go to America’s League to live football in another way and enjoy it more day by day,” he added.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy in front of the fans after winning back the trophy during the World Cup final in France on December 18, 2022 in Lusail, Qatar.

(Martin Meissner/Associated Press)

A league with a salary cap, the deep-pocketed Saudi Pro League, the Qatari owners of Paris Saint-Germain and Deloitte are surprisingly ahead of Barcelona, ​​the world’s seventh-richest club. It required a lot of creativity and collaboration from MLS and two of the league’s primary partners, Apple and Adidas.

The financial details of Messi’s Inter Miami deal were not disclosed, but he reportedly earned a base salary of $40 million per season over his two years with PSG and $400 million a year to play in Saudi Arabia.

The annual payroll for MLS teams is $5.21 million. for that The whole team. Messi would have earned that much in less than a week in Riyadh.

But MLS allows teams to sign up to three designated players for an unlimited salary, only a portion of which applies to the cap. That clause was adopted in 2007, allowing the Galaxy to sign Beckham for $6.5 million per season.

The league sweetened that offer by including a clause that allowed Beckham to buy the MLS expansion franchise for $25 million, which he accepted when he joined the franchise team in Miami in 2013. With Messi’s signing, Beckham is changing the course of MLS for the second time. But with the expansion fee now going to $500 million, the league had to find another way to finance the deal.

So MLS looked to its partners, who, according to league sources, are not authorized to publicly discuss knowledge of the negotiations. Apple, the league’s kit sponsor Adidas, which has worked with Messi since 2006, will help write the deal for the first season of a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal to carry league games on its Apple TV streaming platform. International subscriptions to its MLS Season Pass package are expected to benefit greatly from the signing with Apple, which announced Tuesday it will air a four-part documentary series about Messi’s World Cup triumph last fall.

But it’s unlikely that anyone will benefit from Messi’s decision more than MLS, which is getting a priceless boost in both attention and prestige.

The financial impact of the deal is already being felt in some corners of the league, even if it’s not yet finalized: the asking price for tickets to Inter Miami’s Sept. 3 game with LAFC, as Messi looks to make his MLS debut in July. BMO Stadium topped $4,700 on the secondary market Wednesday afternoon.

The Iron Sheik, a pro wrestling legend and pop culture fixture who embraced his role as “one of the worst villains” in the history of the entertainment genre, has died, his team said Wednesday.

He is 81 years old.

The announcement was made on the wrestler’s popular Twitter feed. Has more than 640,000 followers.

The report did not provide any details on how the man, Hossein Khosrow Ali Waziri, died.

The Iron Sheik “transcended the realm of sports entertainment” with his “larger-than-life personality, incredible charisma and unparalleled in-ring skills” that “captivated audiences around the world,” according to the report.

Pinned at the top of his Twitter feed, the all-caps tweet captures the actor’s comical angst and often-A scandalous personality: “Take a minute out of your day to be nice to one of your dumb sons—-.”

The Sheikh often used hilariously caustic language to address current events.

His final tweet, before the post announcing his death, referred to Canadian wildfires darkening the skies across the northeastern United States: “F— WILDIFIRES.”

“WWE is saddened to hear of the passing of WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik and extends its condolences to his family, friends and fans.” According to a report From the pro wrestling system.

The Sheikh rose to prominence as a comedy film in the United States in the 1980s, when tensions between the United States and Iran reached a boiling point during the hostage crisis in Tehran.

Before donning the quirky anti-American heel outfit, Sheikh was a real wrestler, competing as an amateur in her native Iran before moving stateside.

The Sheik achieved his American dream in late 1983 when he defeated Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden to capture the world heavyweight belt in a “controversial” result. According to WWE archives.

According to WWE Narrative, it was a controversial title as “Backlund refused to submit and Backlund’s manager, Arnold Scholand, threw in the towel.”

The Sheik only held the title for a month before dropping it to rising superstar Hulk Hogan and touching off a long-running rivalry with the Hulkster.

Sheik continued the kayfabe act for decades, frequently and needlessly tweeting insults at Hogan. He wrote “F–K the Hulk Hogan!” In early 2021.

This is a growing story. Refresh here for updates.

After Years of speculation, Apple has officially released a version of its virtual and augmented reality headset Called Apple Vision Pro. Dubbing the product “Spatial Computer” and strategic Avoiding the term metawares, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the device Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California.

Cook’s presentation Showcased various applications of Vision Pro, including simple computer tasks such as watching immersive movies, video games, and accessing a web browser. Apple says users can intuitively control the device through eye contact and hand gestures, as well as voice commands.

The company plans to port hundreds of apps from the iOS App Store to the headset, including an updated version of FaceTime that will create an avatar of the user’s face and create a “personality” for video conferencing.

The Vision Pro will be available in the US in early 2024 and in other countries later next year.

How much does the Apple Vision Pro cost?

The glasses are sleeker and slimmer than competing headsets, but come with some limitations inherent in the emerging technology. The headset’s battery only lasts about twoSimilar to hours-in battery life The popular Meta Quest headsetThe vehicle is still mainly for apps designed for the flat screens of laptops and phones.

Key difference from competitors is the eye-catching price of the Vision Pro. Apple confirmed that the headset will be priced at $3,499 Current price is $999 For the top-line Meta Quest model. The decision is in line with Apple’s familiar strategy of leaning on brand loyalty and offering products at higher prices than its competitors.

Disney CEO Bob Iger made a surprise appearance at the conference, announcing that the media company will include Disney+ capability on the headset, as well as allowing users to visit virtual Disney World on their headsets..

The biggest winner of the Apple announcement? Unity Software

Stock for Unity software, a 3D Software and Gaming Company, increased to 17% Following Apple’s announcement that Unity’s video gaming technology will be used in the Apple Vision Pro headset. It was the stock’s biggest single jump since it announced an IPO in 2020 and led to a brief halt in Unity trading.

“We know there’s a community of developers who have been building incredible 3D apps for years,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of global developer relations, said at the WWDC conference.

“Today, we’re excited to share that we’re bringing those apps to Vision Pro with Unity, so popular Unity-based games and apps can have full access to VisionOS features like Passthrough, high-resolution rendering, and native gestures. .”

Apple stock was not very reactive, Just 1.45% only At the close of the market after reaching the previous day’s all-time high.

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