Author: Scarlett Williamson

The terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in March 2024, which left 140 people dead, has sparked a crackdown on central Asian workers living in Russia, and put the relationship between the region and Russia under increasing strain. The four suspected gunmen under arrest are all citizens of Tajikistan, a central Asian nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Following the Crocus City attack, Russian police started rounding up and deporting workers who are originally from Tajikistan, as well as from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The attack, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine, also sparked massive police raids, document checks of migrants…

Toby Keith, a major country music star who sold tens of millions of records, has died at the age of 62 “[He] passed peacefully last night… surrounded by his family,” a statement on his social media channels said. Keith rose to fame in the 1990s with songs such as Should’ve Been a Cowboy which topped the country music chart. He announced in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, an illness the star said was “debilitating”. The statement said he “fought his fight with grace and dignity”. Over a more than 30-year career, hits including Who’s Your…

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue has turned down $320 million in federal money aimed at reducing tailpipe emissions, arguing federal transportation officials are overstepping their authority in the program. Perdue on Nov. 13 notified U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg the state will not participate in the federal Carbon Reduction Program, a five-year, $6.4 billion effort focused on emissions that contribute to global warming. The program was authorized in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion federal law intended to rebuild and invest in the nation’s transportation system. Perdue wrote that “nothing within the (law) explicitly…

While the number of people moving out has increased, the number of people moving into the state has declined. Virginians are continuing to vote with their feet — and also their moving vans — and they’re increasingly voting against the state. A new batch of Census Bureau data shows that more people continue to move out of the state than move into it, and the gap between the two is widening. This trend is not a new one. Since 2013, Virginia has experienced net out-migration, or more people moving out than moving in. What’s new is the latest set of…

Authorities in New York have seized more than $1bn (£803m) worth of fake products, said to be the largest haul of counterfeit goods in US history. Officials say they seized roughly 219,000 fake handbags, shoes and other luxury items in the massive haul. Two men have been charged with trafficking the goods, which police say was done out of a storage locker in Manhattan. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison. “The trafficking of counterfeit goods is anything but a victimless crime,” New York police commissioner Edward A Caban said in a statement. “It harms legitimate businesses,…

Roaming pigs and cattle from a farm in Sterling continue to trample and dig up neighbors’ property, and area legislators have appealed to multiple state agency leaders for action. State Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Norwich, Rep. Anne Dauphinais, R-Killingly, and Sen. Heather Somers, R-18th District, all penned a letter to Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes late last month in regards to the loose livestock. “We write today to ask that you invoke the authority of your respective departments to get involved in a situation in the town of Sterling which, if allowed to…

Disney on Tuesday released a study showing its economic impact in Florida at $40.3 billion as it battles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees over their takeover of the district that governs the entertainment company’s massive resort in central Florida. Disney accounted for 263,000 jobs in Florida, more than three times the actual workforce at Walt Disney World, according to the study conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Disney, covering fiscal year 2022. Besides direct employment and spending, the study attributed the company’s multibillion-dollar impact to indirect influences, such as supply chain and employees’ spending. The jobs include…

Tech workers at the New York Times (NYT.N) plan to strike for half a day on Monday, accusing the publisher of attempting to unilaterally force them back to the office. The stoppage of work will start at 1 p.m. ET and the nearly 700 workers will hold demonstrations on Zoom and outside the company’s headquarters in Manhattan, where some will wear Halloween costumes, said the Times Tech Guild (TTG). The New York Times issued its return-to-office policy before the tech guild was recognized early last year, when workers voted 404-88 to join the NewsGuild of New York, making TTG the largest tech union in…

London, Delhi, Mumbai (28/10 – 10) England’s title defense in the 2023 Cricket World Cup is practically over, after their fourth defeat in five group-stage matches. Jos Buttler and Co. are coming to the tournament in India as the defending champions, having won their first title in history with the 2019 edition. The 2023 Cricket World Cup turns out to be a disaster for Matthew Mott’s team. From day one onwards, England’s show in the tournament has been painfully dismal, losing by 9 wickets at the hand of New Zealand in the 5 October opening match. They seemed to have…

Frankfurt, Brussels (6/10 – 27) While Tajik authorities have not been able to lay their hands on their activist opponents living in Europe, they are able to turn the screws on their families and relatives, back in the old country. The recent case of arrest of family members took place shortly after President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany, to attend a summit of Central Asian leaders, at the end of last month. Throughout Rahmon’s visit, he was trailed by demonstrators holding up placards bearing pictures of political prisoners and calling him a dictator. When Rahmon headed to the Bundestag on…