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Local Norway
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Norway
Norway government considering municipal international schools
Currently, Norway's Education Act requires that the main language in public primary schools must be either Norwegian (Bokmål or Nynorsk) or Sami, meaning those who want their children to be educated in English, French, German or another language, need to pay for private education. But the State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Synnøve Mjeldheim Skaar (Ap), told the public broadcaster NRK that the government, after years of dragging its feet on the issue, was now actively considering opening up for English-language education. "We are now considering, based among other things based on the experiences from the experiment in the municipality of Oslo, whether the regulations should be changed so that public schools in Norway can also accommodate an international education offer," she said. The ministry, she said, would consider the issue in more detail after the summer break. Advertisement READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about international schools in Norway Manglerud skole in Oslo has been offering international classes in English in 2016, after the Norwegian Directorate of Education for the first time approved an English language trial at a Norwegian primary school. Oslo's English language 'trial' has now in place for nearly a decade without a formal decision to make it permanent. Julie Remen Midtgarden, the Conservative Party politician who heads the education committee on Oslo municipal council, complained that the government's delay in changing law had put the council and the school in a difficult situation. "I believe it is irresponsible as a municipality to provide such an unpredictable offer over such a long period of time," she told NRK . "The worst thing is the unpredictability it creates for students, parents and staff, who do not know how long they have a school offer to attend. Now the government needs to make a decision." READ ALSO: Why Oslo is one of the cheapest cities in Europe to attend international school Oslo municipality may soon relocate its international school offering at another school, or perhaps even close it down, after the local education department said it was considering moving lower secondary classes from Abildsø School to Manglerud. Midtgarden said it was crucial for Oslo as a city to be able to offer international education in English. "We are an international city with a diverse student population. We believe that it is important that we also offer good educational opportunities to those students," she said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Human traffickers sentenced after family froze to death along US-Canada border
A pair of human traffickers received sentences of 10 and 6.5 years on Wednesday following the deaths of an Indian family, including two children, who froze during a blizzard in 2022 while attempting to illegally cross the northern border into the U.S. from Canada. Announcing the sentences, U.S. District Judge John Tunheim said, "The crime in many respects is extraordinary because it did result in the unimaginable death of four individuals, including two children," according to Ap. The outlet reported that Tunheim said, "These were deaths that were clearly avoidable." This follows a jury in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, finding the two, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and Steve Shand, 50, guilty on four counts, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. Patel, who is an Indian national, received a sentence of nearly 11 years. Shand, a U.S. citizen from Florida, received 6.5 years with two years' supervised release. AP reported that neither of the men showed any emotions as they received their sentences. Ice Identifies Jet Ski Suspects In Air Force Cadet Candidate's Death As Illegal Immigrants Read On The Fox News App This follows the 2022 deaths of Jagdish Patel, his wife, Vaishaliben, who were both in their 30s, and their children: daughter Vihangi, 11, and son Dharmik, 3, all of whom froze to death in January 2022 while attempting to illegally cross into Minnesota via an operation coordinated by Patel and Shand. The family members were not related to Patel. The family was among 11 migrants in the same group who made the treacherous crossing to Minnesota that January. After only seven made it across, the family was found dead the next day by Canadian authorities. The seven others, determined to be Indian nationals, were stopped by U.S. Border Patrol in North Dakota near Minnesota. Prosecutors said Patel, who was also known as "Dirty Harry," organized the scheme, and Shand was the driver. Both men were involved in an international smuggling ring that helped Indians illegally cross the border. A Wednesday statement by the U.S. Department of Justice said that the recorded wind chill temperature on the morning of the incident was -36 degrees. AP reported U.S. prosecutor Michael McBride wrote the father died while trying to shield Dharmik's face from a "blistering wind" with a frozen glove. Vihangi was wearing "ill-fitting boots and gloves," and the mother "died slumped against a chain-link fence she must have thought salvation lay behind." Texas Border Sheriff Says Illegal Crossings Have Seen 'Dramatic Decline' As Ca Migrant Center Shuts Down The DOJ said that after being discovered with two aliens in his car, Shand claimed there were no others out in the snow. However, five more aliens emerged from the fields, including one suffering hypothermia who was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Another human smuggler, who was part of the ring, testified during the trial that he had made more than $400,000 smuggling more than 500 Indian migrants across the U.S. border and that the migrants usually work low-wage jobs in the U.S. to pay off their debts to the smugglers, which can be as much as $100,000. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage Commenting on the sentencing, Jamie Holt, special agent in charge of U.S. ICE Homeland Security Investigations St. Paul, said: "Today's sentencing marks a crucial moment of accountability in a case that revealed the harrowing realities of human smuggling." Ice Begins New, Nationwide Effort To Arrest Illegal Aliens At Immigration Hearings Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick for the District of Minnesota added, "As we've seen time and time again, human traffickers care nothing for humanity." "Every time I think about this case, I think about this family — including two beautiful little children — who the defendants left to freeze to death in a blizzard," said Kirkpatrick. "I am proud of the work of our law enforcement partners in holding these defendants accountable for their unspeakable crimes."Original article source: Human traffickers sentenced after family froze to death along US-Canada border
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Apple rejected over 1.9 million apps submitted to App Store in 2024
Apple has said it has prevented more than $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions on the App Store in 2024. In its fifth annual App Store fraud analysis report, the tech giant also said it has stopped a total of $9 billion fraudulent transactions via the app marketplace over the last five years. The report comes nearly a week after the return of Epic Games' Fortnite on the App Store, marking the potential end of a protracted legal battle between the iPhone-maker and the video game company. Epic Games had accused Apple of violating antitrust law by taking a 30 per cent cut of in-app payment transactions and introducing anti-steering restrictions that prohibited developers from telling users that they can pay for services outside the App Store ecosystem. Apple executives were on the verge of facing criminal contempt proceedings last month, after a US federal court said it had fallen short of complying with a previous injunction order dictating that the company must allow developers to direct users to external payment options. In this context, Apple has continued to position its App Store as the safer and more secure payment processing system to discourage developers from using third-party payment processors. 'In-app purchase on the App Store offers users a secure and trusted environment designed to protect privacy, prevent fraud, and make managing purchases simple. With built-in tools to view, modify, or cancel subscriptions; purchase history; and support for refunds, users stay in control every step of the way,' Apple said in the fraud analysis report. The company further said it blocked nearly 4.6 million attempts to 'sideload' or install apps from outside the App Store or third-party marketplaces approved by Apple. Apple said it has taken comprehensive steps to tackle App Store threats ranging from deceptive apps designed to steal personal data of users to fraudulent payment schemes. In 2024, Apple blocked nearly two million 'risky apps' submitted to the App Store, which sees an average of 813 million visitors every week. More than 146,000 App Store developer accounts were terminated last year. Additionally, Apple said it blocked over 10,000 illegitimate apps that acted as storefronts to access pornography apps, gambling apps, malware-loaded apps, and pirated versions of legitimate App Store apps. As part of its crackdown on fake reviews on the App Store, Apple said it removed more than 143 million fraudulent ratings and reviews. It also took down over 7,400 apps from App Store charts and prevented nearly 9,500 deceptive apps from appearing in App Store search results. The company further said it deactivated 129 million customer accounts that were spamming or manipulating ratings and reviews on the App Store. Out of 7.7 million apps submitted and reviewed by Apple, over 1.9 million apps were rejected for failing to meet the company's standards regarding security and other aspects. Among the submitted apps that did not make it on the App Store, 37,000 were flagged for fraudulent activity, 17,000 for bait-and-switch maneuvers, and 400,000 for privacy violations. App Store's app review process involves vetting by a human reviewer as well as usage of automated tools capable of detecting and taking action against potentially harmful apps. 'App Review rejects any potentially malicious apps it identifies during review, and the team's investigation into one fraudulent app often results in the takedown of several others linked to the same problematic developer,' the report read.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Weekend: A blow to the US economy takes the shine off a UK-EU trade deal
As the unseasonably warm weather continued, there was a thawing in relations between the UK and its European neighbours after their acrimonious divorce five years ago. News of a wide-ranging post-Brexit deal that cemented ties in defence and trade got the week off to a bright start. This should have lifted the markets, but some gloomy news from the other side of the Atlantic eclipsed any sunshine in the hearts of investors. The US lost its last, highly-prized triple-A credit rating thanks to a Moody's downgrade, snuffing out any hopes of a stock market rally in London and Europe. It wasn't all sun and light for the UK either. On Wednesday, inflation came in well above forecasts because of a surge in household bills and employers' expenses in what was dubbed 'Awful April'. The 3.5% reading, well above target, gives the Bank of England something to think about, and traders scaled back their bets on further rate cuts in 2025. April was equally awful for fiscal data. Government borrowing came in much higher than expected and £1bn higher than the previous month, despite increased receipts from national insurance contributions by employers. Now, you may have noticed, we almost got through a week with no mention of tariffs. Almost. Perhaps inevitably, the week ended with a market shock courtesy of Donald Trump, who threatened the EU with an eye-watering 50% tariff and declared negotiations between his team and the bloc were "going nowhere". At the same time, he said tech behemoth Apple would face a 25% levy on its iPhones unless they are manufactured in the US. Let's take a look at some of the highlights from an eventful few days, before turning our attention to the week ahead. More interest rate cuts in doubt after surprise inflation surge The stronger-than-forecast inflation reading for April, based largely on a surge in utilities bills and travel costs for households, makes it harder for the Bank of England to ease interest rates. This change in dynamic was reflected in a withdrawal by market traders of bets on rate cuts for the year. Markets are now pricing in just one additional quarter-point cut in 2025, reflecting growing concern that the pace of price rises may prove more persistent than previously thought. According to money markets, the probability of a rate reduction in August has slipped to 50%, down from 60% prior to the latest inflation figures. UK government borrowing hits £20.2bn in April Inflation wasn't the only thing exceeding expectations, unfortunately for the government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves' problems worsened when April's data for UK borrowing came in £1bn higher than the previous month and more than £2bn above forecasts. It all adds up to an increased likelihood of tax rises, according to Ruth Gregory of Capital Economics. "April's public finances figures showed that despite the boost from the rise in employers' national insurance contributions, the fiscal year got off to a poor start," she said. "This raises the chances that if the chancellor wishes to stick to her fiscal rules, more tax hikes in the autumn budget will be required." Bitcoin price hits all-time high above $111,000 There was at least some good news for holders of the world's leading cryptocurrency. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) broke its price record as institutional appetite and regulatory support for the digital asset continue to grow. Supply dynamics are also playing a part in the price surge. The amount of bitcoin held on centralised cryptocurrency exchanges has dropped to historic lows, indicating a shift towards self-custody and reducing readily available supply. According to CryptoQuant, exchange reserves are at an all-time low. UK 'bargain' stocks that have outperformed the market long-term Some things seem too good to be true, and we're taught not to trust those things. But a number of FTSE 350 (^FTLC) stocks trading at steep discounts and easily outperforming the market are certainly a tempting prospect for would-be investors. These "hidden gems" range from household names to industrial firms, and are trading at a significantly lower price-to-earnings ratio, compared to their five-year average. 'With such a heavy focus on US tech and the hugely volatile global macro environment, UK investors may have missed some of the quiet compounders closer to home, something recently noted by BlackRock's Larry Fink," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG. You may not be an Elon Musk or a Bill Gates, but have you ever wondered if you actually qualify as being "rich"? Of course it depends on how you look at it, and most would agree there is more to life than money, but columnist and personal finance analyst Sarah Coles gives us some guidance: How to tell if you're rich London, New York, Paris. Perhaps the top three are unsurprising, but there are plenty of intriguing entries in Oxford Economics' global ranking of cities this year, which evaluates the attractiveness of their economies based on a number of factors. Our very own Vicky McKeever brings us more: The world's 10 best cities to live in revealed After a quiet start to the week with markets closed for holidays in the UK and US, developments around US trade relations and economic concerns will continue to occupy investors' attention, and earnings from chipmaking giant Nvidia (NVDA), among others, will also be in the spotlight. Nvidia (NVDA), due to release first quarter earnings on Wednesday, is the last of the Magnificent 7 tech behemoths to report this earnings season. Salesforce (CRM), which provides customer relationship management (CRM) software, is another key tech name reporting on Wednesday. Computer maker Dell (DELL) is then set to report on Thursday, after it unveiled new AI servers powered by Nvidia (NVDA) chips this week. In the retail sector, investors will be looking at wholesale retailer Costco's (COST) latest results, to help gauge US consumer sentiment amid economic uncertainty. Read more: Stocks to watch next week In economic data, the closely-watched US consumer confidence gauge will be in the spotlight on Tuesday as investors look to get an important clue about the state of the world's largest economy. On Wednesday, as well as a slew of key data from France and Germany, the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee will release the minutes of its last meeting. Thursday is all about the US again, with GDP, corporate profits and jobless claims in the in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scottish Sun
Bargain hunters go wild after spotting £5 buy in B&M – it'll transform your messy patio & instantly hide moss & weeds
Plus, scroll down for ways you can save cash at B&M GARDEN GLOW UP Bargain hunters go wild after spotting £5 buy in B&M – it'll transform your messy patio & instantly hide moss & weeds BARGAIN hunters are going wild after spotting a purse-friendly buy in B&M that'll transform your patio in an instant. So with spring in full swing and summer right around the corner, if you want to get your garden looking glam, then you've come to the right place. Advertisement 2 Shoppers are going wild after finding a £5 buy from B&M that'll add style and colour to your garden Credit: Getty 2 Not only can these tiles be used to hide weeds and moss, but they can also create walkways too Credit: Facebook And particularly if your patio is covered in moss and weeds that you're on a mission to hide, then this is just the thing for you. One savvy shopper was left open-mouthed when browsing the aisles in her local B&M, when she spotted a £5 buy that will turn a grubby patio from drab to fab with barely any effort involved. Thrilled with her cheap find, Catherine Jacinto Dela Cruz eagerly raced to social media to alert others to the bargain buy. Posting on BARGAIN LOVERS Poundland, Home Bargains, B&M, Primark, The Range & More, a public Facebook group with 809,000 members, Catherine shared a snap of her finds - a four pack of Interlocking Floor tiles. Advertisement Alongside her post, Catherine simply penned: 'Floor tiles spotted at B&M for £5.' Thanks to these SIMPLY Garden black tiles, your outside space is sure to stand out and look stylish. Not only are the tiles great for creating a luxurious patio area, but they are also perfect for placing in between vegetable patches or alongside flower beds and inside greenhouses. As well as this, green-fingered enthusiasts can even use the patterned tiles to create walkways or paths around their lawn and garden. Advertisement They're super easy to apply and all you need to do is add more tiles together to create larger areas. Catherine's Facebook post has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it was shared just 12 hours ago but has since amassed 228 likes and 79 comments. I went to B&M for a radiator cover & came out with £230 of furniture for £40 - here's how I nabbed such epic bargains Big divide Social media users quickly flocked to the comments, keen to share their thoughts on the high-street buy. One person said: 'Love this.' Advertisement How to save money at B&M Shoppers have saved hundreds of pounds a year by using B&M's scanner app. The scanner lets you see if an item's price is cheaper than advertised on the shop floor label. Products that are typically discounted are seasonal items and old stock that B&M is trying to shift. The app is free to download off the B&M Stores mobile app via Google Play or the Apple App Store. According to one ex-B&M manager, you'll want to visit your local branch at 10am on a Wednesday too. Here's how you can join the B&M bargain hunt: Download the B&M app for free on any smartphone with an App Store or Google Play. Once you've installed it on your device, click on the option labelled "more" on the bottom, right-hand side of the app home page. You'll then find an option that says "barcode scanner". Click on this and you'll open a camera screen. Use the camera to hover over the barcode of the product you wish to check. If the price comes up as lower, take it to the cash desk and it will automatically scan at the lower price. You don't need to sign up to the B&M app to use the barcode scanner. Another added: 'They are great, got them in our garden.' A third commented: 'l found them very good, bought some more this year to extend the area for the patio table to go on.' They are great, got them in our garden Facebook user Despite this, not everyone was as impressed, as one shopper claimed: 'These are very flimsy if you intend to put stuff on top of them. I wouldn't bother there more for decoration than anything else. I had them and they broke, just saying if anyone is interested.' A second slammed: 'Bad quality. Flimsy bendy plastic just cracks. Don't waste your money.' Advertisement Whilst someone else remarked: 'They are useless, very uneven, trip hazard.' Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club
