LA Dodgers pledge $1 million to aid families affected by immigration raids
The Los Angeles Dodgers , one of Major League Baseball's biggest teams, announced a $1 million contribution to help immigrant families impacted by recent federal raids in and around Los Angeles. The move came after days of public pressure from the team's largely Latino fan base.The contribution, made in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, aims to support families and workers who have lost income or been impacted by the recent enforcement action. The raids, conducted by U.S. immigration authorities, have caused fear and disruption across neighborhoods with large immigrant populations.The Dodgers said the money will be used for food aid, basic supplies and mental health services. The team is working with the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and other local organizations to support families in need.'What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,' said Stan Kasten, President and CEO of the Dodgers. 'We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.'(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)The announcement came after growing criticism of the team's silence as immigration enforcement increased across the area. The Dodgers have long had a strong bond with Latino communities — a relationship that grew during the era of Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela in the 1980s and continues to this day. Today, roughly 40% of the team's fan base is Latino.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass welcomed the team's contribution. 'These last weeks have sent shock waves of fear rippling through every neighborhood and have had a direct impact on our economy,' she said. 'My message to all Angelenos is clear: We will stick together during this time, and we will not turn our backs on one another — that's what makes this the greatest city in the world.'The contribution came after a group of more than 50 activists and local leaders signed a letter urging the team to oppose federal immigration raids and ensure its stadium property would not be used for enforcement. The Dodgers clarified that federal agents had arrived at the stadium recently, but said their request to use the parking lot was refused.The team, which has long celebrated its connections with the city's diverse communities, has promised to continue working with local organizations to help those impacted by the raids.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
How SpaceX's rocket diplomacy backfired in the Bahamas
* How SpaceX's rocket diplomacy backfired in the Bahamas Bahamian officials frustrated by SpaceX deal approval process * SpaceX's global expansion faces geopolitical challenges * Starship debris raises safety concerns among Bahamians By Joey Roulette NASSAU, Bahamas, - When SpaceX was negotiating a deal with the Bahamas last year to allow its Falcon 9 rocket boosters to land within the island nation's territory, Elon Musk's company offered a sweetener: complimentary Starlink internet terminals for the country's defense vessels, according to three people familiar with the matter. The rocket landing deal, unlocking a more efficient path to space for SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9, was then signed in February last year by Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, who bypassed consultation with several other key government ministers, one of the sources and another person familiar with the talks said. Reuters could not determine the dollar value of the Starlink arrangement or the number of vessels outfitted with Starlink terminals. The Bahamian military, mostly a sea-faring force with a fleet of roughly a dozen vessels, did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters found no evidence that Cooper broke any laws or regulations in striking the deal with SpaceX, but the people said the quick approval created tension within the Bahamian government. By this April, two months after the first and only Falcon 9 booster landed off the nation's Exuma coast, the Bahamas announced it had put the landing agreement on hold. The government said publicly it wanted a post-launch investigation after the explosion in March of a different SpaceX rocket, Starship, whose mid-flight failure sent hundreds of pieces of debris washing ashore on Bahamian islands. But the suspension was the result of the blindsided officials' frustration as well, two of the people said. "While no toxic materials were detected and no significant environmental impact was reported, the incident prompted a reevaluation of our engagement with SpaceX," Chequita Johnson, the acting director general of the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas, said in a statement. SpaceX did not respond to questions for comment. Cooper did not respond to questions about how the rocket landing deal was arranged. SpaceX's setbacks in the Bahamas – detailed in this story for the first time – offer a rare glimpse into its fragile diplomacy with foreign governments. As the company races to expand its dominant space business, it must navigate the geopolitical complexities of a high-stakes, global operation involving advanced satellites and orbital-class rockets – some prone to explosive failure – flying over or near sovereign territories. These political risks were laid bare last month when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was considering taking legal action against SpaceX over "contamination" related to Starship launches from Starbase, the company's rocket site in Texas, 2 miles north of the Mexican border. Her comments came after a Starship rocket exploded into a giant fireball earlier this month on a test stand at Starbase. Responding to Sheinbaum on X, SpaceX said its teams have been hindered from recovering Starship debris that landed in Mexican territory. MISSION TO MARS SpaceX is pursuing aggressive global expansion as Musk, its CEO, has become a polarizing figure on the world stage, especially following high-profile clashes with several governments during his time advising President Donald Trump. More recently he has fallen out with Trump himself. Starlink, SpaceX's fast-growing satellite internet venture, is a central source of revenue funding Musk's vision to send human missions to Mars aboard Starship. But to scale globally, SpaceX must continue to win the trust of foreign governments with which it wishes to operate the service, as rivals from China and companies like Jeff Bezos' Amazon ramp up competing satellite networks. The company's talks with Bahamian officials show how Starlink is also seen as a key negotiating tool for SpaceX that can help advance other parts of its business. According to SpaceX's orbital calculations, the Falcon 9 rocket can carry heavier payloads and more satellites to space if its booster is allowed to land in Bahamian territory. Meanwhile, Starship's trajectory from Texas to orbit requires it to pass over Caribbean airspaces, exposing the region to potential debris if the rocket fails, as it has in all three of its test flights this year. SpaceX's deal with the Bahamas, the government said, also included a $1 million donation to the University of Bahamas, where the company pledged to conduct quarterly seminars on space and engineering topics. The company must pay a $100,000 fee per landing, pursuant to the country's space regulations it enacted in preparation for the SpaceX activities. While SpaceX made steep investments for an agreement prone to political entanglement, the Falcon 9 booster landings could resume later this summer, two Bahamian officials said. Holding things up is the government's examination of a SpaceX report on the booster landing's environmental impact, as well as talks among officials to amend the country's space reentry regulations to codify a better approval process and environmental review requirements, one of the sources said. Arana Pyfrom, assistant director at the Bahamas' Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, said SpaceX's presence in the country is "polarizing". Many Bahamians, he said, have voiced concerns to the government about their safety from Starship debris and pollution to the country's waters. "I have no strong dislike for the exploration of space, but I do have concerns about the sovereignty of my nation's airspace," Pyfrom said. "The Starship explosion just strengthened opposition to make sure we could answer all these questions." STARSHIP FAILURES ROCK ISLANDS Starship exploded about nine and a half minutes into flight on March 6 after launching from Texas, in what the company said was likely the result of an automatic self-destruct command triggered by an issue in its engine section. It was the second consecutive test failure after a similar mid-flight explosion in January rained debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands, a nearby British overseas territory. Matthew Bastian, a retired engineer from Canada, was anchored in his sailboat on vacation near Ragged Island, a remote island chain in southern Bahamas, just after sunset when he witnessed Starship's explosion. What he initially thought was a rising moon quickly became an expanding fireball that turned into a "large array of streaking comets." "My initial reaction was 'wow that is so cool,' then reality hit me – I could have a huge chunk of rocket debris crash down on me and sink my boat!" he said. "Fortunately that didn't happen, but one day it could happen to someone." Thousands of cruise ships, ferries, workboats, fishing boats, yachts and recreational sailboats ply the waters around Caribbean islands each year, maritime traffic that is crucial for the Bahamas tourism industry. Within days of the explosion, SpaceX dispatched staff and deployed helicopters and speedboats to swarm Ragged Island and nearby islands, using sonar to scan the seafloor for debris, four local residents and a government official told Reuters. On the surface, recovery crews hauled the wreckage from the water and transferred it onto a much larger SpaceX vessel, typically used to catch rocket fairings falling back from space, the people said. The SpaceX team included its vice president of launch, Kiko Dontchev, who emphasized in a news conference with local reporters that the rocket is entirely different from the Falcon 9 boosters that would land off the Exuma coast under SpaceX's agreement. Joe Darville, chairman of a local environmental organization called Save The Bays, was angered by the Starship debris, as well as what he described as a "deal done totally in secret" over the Falcon 9 agreement. As Bahamian waters become increasingly polluted and coral reefs shrink, he's unhappy with the lack of transparency in his government's dealings with SpaceX. "Something like that should have never been made without consultation of the people in the Bahamas," he said. Pyfrom, the official from the Bahamas' environmental agency, said the review of the SpaceX report and the approval process will show "where we fell short, and what we need to improve on." SpaceX, meanwhile, is forging ahead with Starship. Musk said earlier this month he expects the next Starship rocket to lift off within the next three weeks. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
How SpaceX's rocket diplomacy backfired in the Bahamas
When SpaceX was negotiating a deal with the Bahamas last year to allow its Falcon 9 rocket boosters to land within the island nation's territory, Elon Musk's company offered a sweetener: complimentary Starlink internet terminals for the country's defence vessels, according to three people familiar with the matter. The rocket landing deal, unlocking a more efficient path to space for SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9, was then signed in February last year by Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, who bypassed consultation with several other key government ministers, one of the sources and another person familiar with the talks said. Reuters could not determine the dollar value of the Starlink arrangement or the number of vessels outfitted with Starlink terminals. The Bahamian military, mostly a sea-faring force with a fleet of roughly a dozen vessels, did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters found no evidence that Mr. Cooper broke any laws or regulations in striking the deal with SpaceX, but the people said the quick approval created tension within the Bahamian government. By this April, two months after the first and only Falcon 9 booster landed off the nation's Exuma coast, the Bahamas announced it had put the landing agreement on hold. The government said publicly it wanted a post-launch investigation after the explosion in March of a different SpaceX rocket, Starship, whose mid-flight failure sent hundreds of pieces of debris washing ashore on Bahamian islands. But the suspension was the result of the blindsided officials' frustration as well, two of the people said. "While no toxic materials were detected and no significant environmental impact was reported, the incident prompted a reevaluation of our engagement with SpaceX," Mr. Cooper, also the country's tourism chief, told Reuters through a spokesperson. SpaceX did not respond to questions for comment. Mr. Cooper and the Prime Minister's office did not respond to questions about how the rocket landing deal was arranged. SpaceX's setbacks in the Bahamas – detailed in this story for the first time – offer a rare glimpse into its fragile diplomacy with foreign governments. As the company races to expand its dominant space business, it must navigate the geopolitical complexities of a high-stakes, global operation involving advanced satellites and orbital-class rockets – some prone to explosive failure – flying over or near sovereign territories. These political risks were laid bare last month when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was considering taking legal action against SpaceX over 'contamination' related to Starship launches from Starbase, the company's rocket site in Texas, 2 miles north of the Mexican border. Her comments came after a Starship rocket exploded into a giant fireball earlier this month on a test stand at Starbase. Responding to Sheinbaum on X, SpaceX said its teams have been hindered from recovering Starship debris that landed in Mexican territory. MISSION TO MARS SpaceX is pursuing aggressive global expansion as Musk, its CEO, has become a polarising figure on the world stage, especially following high-profile clashes with several governments during his time advising President Donald Trump. More recently, he has fallen out with Mr. Trump himself. Starlink, SpaceX's fast-growing satellite internet venture, is a central source of revenue funding Musk's vision to send human missions to Mars aboard Starship. But to scale globally, SpaceX must continue to win the trust of foreign governments with which it wishes to operate the service, as rivals from China and companies like Jeff Bezos' Amazon ramp up competing satellite networks. The company's talks with Bahamian officials show how Starlink is also seen as a key negotiating tool for SpaceX that can help advance other parts of its business. According to SpaceX's orbital calculations, the Falcon 9 rocket can carry heavier payloads and more satellites to space if its booster is allowed to land in Bahamian territory. Meanwhile, Starship's trajectory from Texas to orbit requires it to pass over Caribbean airspaces, exposing the region to potential debris if the rocket fails, as it has in all three of its test flights this year. SpaceX's deal with the Bahamas, the government said, also included a $1 million donation to the University of Bahamas, where the company pledged to conduct quarterly seminars on space and engineering topics. The company must pay a $100,000 fee per landing, pursuant to the country's space regulations it enacted in preparation for the SpaceX activities. While SpaceX made steep investments for an agreement prone to political entanglement, the Falcon 9 booster landings could resume later this summer, two Bahamian officials said. Holding things up is the government's examination of a SpaceX report on the booster landing's environmental impact, as well as talks among officials to amend the country's space reentry regulations to codify a better approval process and environmental review requirements, one of the sources said. Arana Pyfrom, Assistant Director at the Bahamas' Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, said SpaceX's presence in the country is "polarizing". Many Bahamians, he said, have voiced concerns to the government about their safety from Starship debris and pollution to the country's waters. "I have no strong dislike for the exploration of space, but I do have concerns about the sovereignty of my nation's airspace," Mr. Pyfrom said. "The Starship explosion just strengthened opposition to make sure we could answer all these questions." Starship Failures rock islands Starship exploded about nine and a half minutes into flight on March 6 after launching from Texas, in what the company said was likely the result of an automatic self-destruct command triggered by an issue in its engine section. It was the second consecutive test failure after a similar mid-flight explosion in January rained debris on the Turks and Caicos Islands, a nearby British overseas territory. Matthew Bastian, a retired engineer from Canada, was anchored in his sailboat on vacation near Ragged Island, a remote island chain in southern Bahamas, just after sunset when he witnessed Starship's explosion. What he initially thought was a rising moon quickly became an expanding fireball that turned into a "large array of streaking comets." "My initial reaction was 'wow that is so cool,' then reality hit me – I could have a huge chunk of rocket debris crash down on me and sink my boat!" he said. "Fortunately that didn't happen, but one day it could happen to someone." Thousands of cruise ships, ferries, workboats, fishing boats, yachts and recreational sailboats ply the waters around Caribbean islands each year, maritime traffic that is crucial for the Bahamas tourism industry. Within days of the explosion, SpaceX dispatched staff and deployed helicopters and speedboats to swarm Ragged Island and nearby islands, using sonar to scan the seafloor for debris, four local residents and a government official told Reuters. On the surface, recovery crews hauled the wreckage from the water and transferred it onto a much larger SpaceX vessel, typically used to catch rocket fairings falling back from space, the people said. The SpaceX team included its vice president of launch, Kiko Dontchev, who emphasised in a news conference with local reporters that the rocket is entirely different from the Falcon 9 boosters that would land off the Exuma coast under SpaceX's agreement. Joe Darville, chairman of a local environmental organisation called Save The Bays, was angered by the Starship debris, as well as what he described as a "deal done totally in secret" over the Falcon 9 agreement. As Bahamian waters become increasingly polluted and coral reefs shrink, he's unhappy with the lack of transparency in his government's dealings with SpaceX. "Something like that should have never been made without consultation of the people in the Bahamas," he said. Mr. Pyfrom, the official from the Bahamas' environmental agency, said the review of the SpaceX report and the approval process will show "where we fell short, and what we need to improve on." SpaceX, meanwhile, is forging ahead with Starship. Musk said earlier this month he expects the next Starship rocket to lift off within the next three weeks.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Leagues Cup: CF Toluca fight back to beat Columbus Crew on penalties
Paulinho led a dramatic comeback and Luis Manuel Garcia delivered in the shootout as CF Toluca edged Columbus Crew 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Leagues Cup opener on Tuesday night. Columbus jumped out to a 2-0 lead, with Diego Rossi converting a penalty in the 11th minute and Max Arfsten adding a second just after halftime off a setup from Jacen Russell-Rowe. But Toluca, the reigning Liga MX Clausura champions, roared back through Paulinho, who scored twice in quick succession in the 71st and 80th minutes to level the match. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Others Data Science Project Management Product Management Management Finance healthcare Cybersecurity CXO MCA Data Analytics Digital Marketing Healthcare MBA Technology Design Thinking others Leadership Data Science Operations Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 16 Weeks Indian School of Business CERT-ISB Transforming HR with Analytics & AI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 months IIM Lucknow SEPO - IIML CHRO India Starts on undefined Get Details Garcia took over from there. The Toluca goalkeeper denied Rossi a chance at a brace by saving a penalty in the 88th minute, then came up big again in the shootout, stopping attempts from both Rossi and Amar Sejdic. Helinho sealed the win with Toluca's fifth and final penalty, giving the Diablos Rojos the bonus point in the group standings. — LeaguesCup (@LeaguesCup) Puebla blank New York City FC 3-0 Live Events Emiliano Gomez led the way with a goal and an assist as visiting Puebla secured a convincing 3-0 win over New York City FC in their Leagues Cup opener in Harrison, NJ. Puebla struck early when Juan Fedorco capitalized on a failed clearance off a corner kick to score in just the second minute. Gomez doubled the lead in the 38th, sliding in to finish Alejandro Organista's low cross. The Mexican side sealed the win in the 88th minute when Owen Gonzalez capped a flowing team move, finishing off a sharp final pass from Gomez. Despite trailing on the scoreboard, NYCFC edged Puebla in total shots, 17-13. However, Puebla goalkeeper Jesus Rodriguez stood tall, recording five saves to secure the tournament's first clean sheet. NYCFC's Matthew Freese made two saves in the losing effort. — LeaguesCup (@LeaguesCup) CF Montreal beat Club Leon in thrilling shootout Prince Owusu continued his red-hot form with his 10th goal in 10 matches, helping CF Montreal earn a draw and prevail in a penalty shootout against visiting Club Leon in their Leagues Cup opener. Owusu equalised in the 62nd minute, finishing off a well-worked move set up by Dante Sealy, which canceled out Rogelio Funes Mori's 11th-minute header. The Leon striker had nodded home a precise long diagonal from James Rodriguez to open the scoring. — LeaguesCup (@LeaguesCup) The match remained level through full time, leading to a dramatic shootout. After 13 straight successful penalties, Leon's Sebastian Santos hit the crossbar, giving Montreal the 8-7 shootout win and an extra point in the group standings. Montreal dominated the stats, outshooting Leon 17-4 overall and 7-2 in shots on target. Despite the pressure, Leon goalkeeper Oscar Jimenez made six saves to keep his side in contention.
