South Sudan May Dismiss Vice President, East African Reports
South Sudan's government plans to dismiss First Vice President Riek Machar and haul him before a court if an ongoing investigation finds him complicit in renewed violence in the country, The East African reported, citing Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth.
A panel is determining whether there's sufficient evidence to bring Machar to trial, the Nairobi-based newspaper reported on Monday. The case will be dropped if the committee clears him of any wrongdoing, it said.
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Corporate support for Pride is dwindling nationwide. In NC, it's a mixed bag
Pride Month has long been an occasion for companies and institutions to display their support for the LGBTQ+ community, whether it be for profit or for principle. It's often a trivial gesture, but it can have a meaningful impact for a community that had long been relegated to the shadows of society. But more recently, that support has waned amid a regressive political climate that has made many companies rethink their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. A survey conducted by the national risk management firm Gravity Research found that around 39% of companies said they would reduce their engagement around Pride Month this year. Some of the top reasons for the change were the Trump administration, conservative activists and conservative policymakers, the survey found. Major corporations, including Mastercard and Pepsi, have pulled their sponsorship of major Pride events or avoided the topic on social media. In North Carolina, the results are mixed. Take Lowe's, which is based in Mooresville. Lowe's hasn't yet acknowledged Pride Month on its social media — a marked difference from past years when it openly embraced the occasion. That's not unexpected, given that Lowe's has already announced an end to many of its DEI initiatives. Last year, the company said it would no longer participate in surveys conducted by LGBTQ+ groups and ended its support of outside events like festivals, parades and fairs. (Lowe's had previously been a longtime supporter of Charlotte's annual Pride festival.) But surprising or not, it's reflective of a growing trend away from publicly embracing the LGBTQ+ community. Charlotte-based Bank of America also has remained quiet about Pride so far. In past years, Bank of America has been vocal about celebrating the occasion on social media and honoring its LGBTQ+ employees with the hashtag #BofAPride, but that support has been absent this year. Compare that with Truist, which posted in celebration of Pride on its Facebook and Instagram accounts. For North Carolina's professional sports teams, the results are mixed, too. While the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets both celebrated the start of Pride on social media, the Carolina Hurricanes have not. In fact, the team has remained largely silent about Pride since 2023 — the Hurricanes are one of just a handful NHL teams to not acknowledge it this year — a decision that has disappointed many fans who feel a simple acknowledgment of the occasion is not too much to ask. The same goes for the state's largest cities. The city of Charlotte posted on its social media accounts at the beginning of Pride, in addition to updating its profile picture to a rainbow version of the city's crown logo. The cities of Raleigh and Greensboro, however, did not. This move toward silence comes at a time when things like Pride celebrations and flags are under attack from lawmakers across the state. Legislation has been introduced at the state level that would effectively ban the display of Pride flags in government buildings, while some counties have passed ordinances governing public events that some interpret as targeting Pride events or drag performances. Of course, a social media post is just that: a social media post. It's not going to defeat anti-LGBTQ legislation, or save gay kids from being bullied, or change the country's attitude towards transgender people — at least not on its own. From some companies, it's just a lot of empty words or glorified virtue signaling. But public support for any marginalized group can be meaningful, especially when it happens on a large scale. And when institutions cower in the face of political pressure to stay silent, they're just letting the bullies win. It makes real change all the more difficult. Ultimately, it's not the silence that is the problem. It's the fact that the silence is new — a sudden absence of the public support and acceptance that existed before. It feels like another step backward during a time when progress feels like it's constantly stuck in reverse.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
As World Pride begins in Washington, some foreigners stay away
Across Washington, large rainbow flags are flying next to the stars and stripes as the city plays host to World Pride, a global celebration of LGBTQ culture and identity. But getting the world to come has proved challenging this year. Some international travellers are choosing to skip the biennial event over travel fears, while others are protesting President Donald Trump's policies. Alice Siregar, a Montreal-based data analyst who is transgender, had planned to attend. But travelling to the US at the moment was unthinkable, she told the BBC. "It is a risk to now come over and especially as a trans woman," she said. The US capital won the bid to host World Pride years before Trump's re-election. In January, the event's organisers had projected the celebration, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Washington's first Pride march, would attract three million visitors and contribute nearly $800 million to the local economy. But their expectations have now dropped to about a third of their previous estimates. Hotel occupancy rates are also down compared to last year. Ms Siregar, 30, holds both Canadian and US citizenship but says she has been unable to renew her US passport because of new rules implemented by the Trump administration that prevents transgender Americans from changing their gender on official documents. The White House says it is defending "the biological reality of sex". She could travel south with her Canadian passport, but she is worried border agents may not accept her gender, which is listed as female on her Canadian documents. Reports of other foreign travellers being detained and taken into custody have raised her concerns, she said. "It's too dangerous to risk it," she said. A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection said that a person's gender identity does not make them inadmissible. "A foreign traveller's gender as indicated on their passport and their personal beliefs about sexuality do not render a person inadmissible," the spokesperson told the BBC in a statement. "Claims to the contrary are false." But Ms Siregar is not alone in her concerns. Several European governments including Germany, Finland, and Denmark have issued travel advisories for transgender and non-binary citizens travelling to the US. Equality Australia, an advocacy group, also issued a travel alert for gender non-conforming people and those with a history of LGBTQ activism. Egale Canada, one of the country's largest LGBTQ charities, said it was not participating in World Pride because of concerns for the safety of their transgender and non-binary staff. Egale Canada has previously participated in World Pride events in London, Sydney and at home in Toronto. "We are very concerned about the general tone and hostility towards domestic LGBTI people in the US, but also to those who may be visiting the US from other jurisdictions," its executive director Helen Kennedy said. Trump's repeated comments about making Canada the 51st US state was also a factor, she added. Ms Kennedy said the organisation wasn't boycotting World Pride itself, but protesting against Trump's policies on LGBTQ issues. Since coming into office, Trump has rolled back some LGBTQ protections, including revoking a Biden-era executive order on preventing discrimination "on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation". He has also banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in federal agencies. Supporters say those policies help correct injustices, but others, including Trump, say they are themselves discriminatory. His administration has also banned transgender people from serving in the military and banned federal funding for gender care for transgender youth. It has also threatened to suspend funding for states that allow transgender athletes to compete. Trump has defended his actions, saying trans women in sports is "demeaning for women and it's very bad for our country". Some of these policies are currently being challenged in court. This week, US media reported plans by the navy to rename a ship that had been christened to honour Harvey Milk. The former Navy sailor and activist was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, in 1977. While former President Joe Biden held a Pride month event on the White House lawn in 2023 and issued a proclomation in support of the community last year, Mr Trump has not spoken in recent days about the celebration. Asked about the president's position on World Pride, a spokesman for the White House told the New York Times that Trump was "fostering a sense of national pride that should be celebrated daily" and that he was "honoured to serve all Americans." Capital Pride Alliance, the organisation running this year's World Pride in DC, told the BBC it has recieved "an unordinary amount of questions and concerns". "Our celebration is quite literally in the footsteps of the Capitol Building and a block away from the White House, something that a lot of people are conscious of," Sahand Miraminy, Capital Pride Alliance's director of operations, said. For the first time, Pride in DC will have an enclosed perimeter and weapons detectors, he said, in part because this year's event will draw larger crowds than usual. World Pride events will also see an elevated presence of the Metropolitan Police Department's LGBTQ+ liaison unit that will be "first priority" to respond to emergencies, Mr Miraminy said. Washington's Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged that visitors "feel scared that an environment is developing that is anti-LGBTQ". But "we can't live in fear, we have to live our lives [and] be as best prepared as we can," she said. Kelly Laczko, the co-owner of Her Diner in DuPont Circle, one of DC's most vibrant LGBTQ neighbourhoods, said she's also increased security for the weekend. "I feel like normally with Pride we are ready for the celebration," she said. "And obviously the current administration has put a big damper on that." Although she will not be in Washington, Ms Siregar said she hopes others do visit. "I do think that people in the US should attend and be safe in attending," she said. "It's important that people stand up more than ever now." Ms Laczko agrees. "Even joy can be an act of defiance," she said.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scottish drugs mule flooded market with £7m of heroin in plot involving former cop
A Scottish drugs mule who flooded the UK with millions of pounds worth of heroin has been ordered to pay back just £42k. Christopher Heaney, from Anstruther in Fife, was jailed for nine years for his involvement in a cross-border heroin conspiracy as he and four others were busted by cops following the arrest of a former police officer in 2022. Ex-cop Steven Creasey was stopped while driving to Fife having already travelled from his home in Cardiff to Liverpool on the same day. A dog then sniffed out a professionally installed hide under the passenger seat, reports WalesOnline. READ MORE: Tragedy as West Lothian man dies in crash after air ambulance lands on busy road READ MORE: Iconic Edinburgh 'banana flats' bursts into flames as residents evacuated It contained a 5kg stash of heroin and one kilogram of adulterant. A burner phone also found in his possession revealed he had been operating as a professional courier engaged by the heads of a Liverpool-based gang. Fife-based Heaney was involved in the distribution of onward supply across the UK along with three others. Raids were then carried out at homes in Cardiff, Liverpool, Scotland and Northumberland towards the end of 2022. Significant items were found at the addresses, including expensive jewellery, heroin, cocaine, adulterants, opium, cannabis grows, and metal moulds for pressing powder into blocks. All five defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial at Cardiff Crown Court in February last year. The gang members were jailed for a combination of 57 years and 2 months. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing was held at the same court earlier this week. It heard how despite profiting around £125,000 as part of the operation, Heaney was ordered to pay back a fraction of £42,000. Judge Lucy Crowther ordered him to pay the sum within three months. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. If he fails to do so, he will face an additional 18 months in jail. Speaking after sentencing, Detective Inspector Christopher McGlinchey of Police Scotland said: "This case underlines our collaborative efforts to dismantle organised crime networks that span regions. "The significant amount of drugs trafficked by this group had the potential to inflict serious harm on our communities. "The success of Operation Solon demonstrates strong partnership working between Police Scotland, Tarian ROCU and other partner agencies. It also reinforces our commitment to the UK's Serious and Organised Crime Strategy. "Organised crime has no place in our society and we will continue to work relentlessly to bring those responsible to justice."
