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Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Telangana High Court refuses to grant relief in Bathukamma Kunta lake land dispute
The Telangana High Court on Tuesday refused to grant any interim relief to a petitioner who claimed that land in his possession is now submerged and located inside the recently restored Bathukamma Kunta lake in Hyderabad's Bagh Amberpet area. While the petitioner contended that the disputed land was only a low-lying area that was dug up further and subsequently collected rainwater to form a lake, the court looked at recent photographs of the lake restored by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to refuse interim relief to the petitioner. Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was dealing with the petitioner's claim that the land measuring 988.49 sq m was never formally acquired by the state under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act 1976 and that the acquisition proceedings under this Act remained incomplete. Despite this, the petitioner alleged, the land was unilaterally designated for public or conservation purposes in the master plan and a low-lying area has been dug up further to create a lake. The plea asked the court to set aside G.O. Ms. No. 363 dated August 21, 2010, and subsequently G.O. Ms. No. 120 dated December 2, 2010, but only to the extent that these orders affect the specific property. The core of the argument is that if the land was never legally acquired, the government has no right to alter its classification or ownership status in official records or planning documents. Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel B Mayur Reddy said the state was wrongfully claiming that a lake existed at the place, and showed a photograph to this effect. He asked the state to formally acquire the land before declaring the site as a lake. The government pleader, opposing the petitioner's claims, argued that the entire five-acre land was now a part of the restored Bathukamma Kunta lake. He then submitted photographs of a water-filled lake to state that no land of the petitioner existed within the disputed area. Reddy said that if the court could consider a photograph with a lake, he could submit a photograph of the same place without a lake and also submit photographs showing bulldozers digging up the land to create the lake. Adding that the photographs do not reveal there is any land available on the sides of the lake, the judge asked the senior counsel to show the actual location of his land within the lake site before further proceedings. The case was adjourned for a date two weeks later.
UPI
16 minutes ago
- Health
- UPI
Natural disasters can be hardest on older rural Americans
First responders search an area along the Guadalupe River near Blue Oak RV Park in Ingram, Texas, on Monday. More than 100 people were killed in floods in central Texas, At least 27 of them died when floodwaters swept through a summer camp and nearby homes early on Friday . Photo by Dustin Safranek/EPA Hurricanes, tornadoes and other extreme weather do not distinguish between urban and rural boundaries. But when a disaster strikes, there are big differences in how well people are able to respond and recover -- and older adults in rural areas are especially vulnerable. If a disaster causes injuries, getting health care can take longer in rural areas. Many rural hospitals have closed, leaving patients traveling longer distances for care. At the same time, rural areas have higher percentages of older adults, a group that is more likely to have chronic health problems that make experiencing natural disasters especially dangerous. Medical treatments, such as dialysis, can be disrupted when power goes out or clinics are damaged, and injuries are more likely around property damaged by flooding or powerful winds. As a sociologist who studies rural issues and directs the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, I believe that understanding the risks is essential for ensuring healthier lives for older adults. I see many different ways rural communities are helping reduce their vulnerability in disasters. Disasters disrupt health care, especially in isolated rural regions According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 20% of the country's rural population is age 65 and over, compared with only 16% of urban residents. That's about 10 million older adults living in rural areas. There are three primary reasons rural America has been aging faster than the rest of the country: Young people have been leaving for college and job opportunities, meaning fewer residents are starting new families. Many older rural residents are choosing to "age in place" where they have strong social ties. And some rural areas are gaining older adults who choose to retire there. An aging population means rural areas tend to have a larger percentage of residents with chronic disease, such as dementia, heart disease, respiratory illness and diabetes. According to research from the National Council on Aging, nearly 95% of adults age 60 and older have at least one chronic condition, while more than 78% have two or more. Rural areas also have higher rates of death from chronic diseases, particularly heart disease. At the same time, health care access in rural areas is rapidly declining. Nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed or stopped providing in-patient care since 2005. Over 700 more -- one-third of the nation's remaining rural hospitals -- were considered to be at risk of closing even before the cuts to Medicaid that the president signed in July 2025. Hospital closures have left rural residents traveling about 20 miles farther for common in-patient health care services than they did two decades ago, and even farther for specialist care. Those miles might seem trivial, but in emergencies when roads are damaged or flooded, they can mean losing access to care and treatment. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, 44% of patients on dialysis missed at least one treatment session, and almost 17% missed three or more. When Hurricanes Matthew and Florence hit rural Robeson County, North Carolina, in 2016 and 2018, some patients who relied on insulin to manage their blood sugar levels went without insulin for weeks. The county had high rates of poverty and poor health already, and the healthy foods people needed to manage the disease were also hard to find after the storm. Insulin is important for treating diabetes -- a chronic disease estimated to affect nearly one-third of adults age 65 and older. But a sufficient supply can be harder to maintain when a disaster knocks out power, because insulin should be kept cool, and medical facilities and drugstores may be harder for patients to reach. Rural residents also often live farther from community centers, schools or other facilities that can serve as cooling centers during heat waves or evacuation centers in times of crisis. Alzheimer's disease can make evacuation difficult Cognitive decline also affects older adults' ability to manage disasters. Over 11% of Americans age 65 and older -- more than 7 million people -- have Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, and the prevalence is higher in rural areas' older populations compared with urban areas. Caregivers for family members living with dementia may struggle to find time to prepare for disasters. And when disaster strikes, they face unique challenges. Disasters disrupt routines, which can cause agitation for people with Alzheimer's, and patients may resist evacuation. Living through a disaster can also worsen brain health over the long run. Older adults who lived through the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami were found to have greater cognitive decline over the following decade, especially those who lost their homes or jobs, or whose health care routines were disrupted. Social safety nets are essential One thing that many rural communities have that helps is a strong social fabric. Those social connections can help reduce older adults' vulnerability when disasters strike. Following severe flooding in Colorado in 2013, social connections helped older adults navigate the maze of paperwork required for disaster aid, and some even provided personal loans. Friends, family and neighbors in rural areas often check in on seniors, particularly those living alone. They can help them develop disaster response plans to ensure older residents have access to medications and medical treatment, and that they have an evacuation plan. Rural communities and local groups can also help build up older adults' mental and physical health before and after storms by developing educational, social and exercise programs. Better health and social connections can improve resilience, including older adults' ability to respond to alerts and recover after disasters. Ensuring that everyone in the community has that kind of support is important in rural areas and cities alike as storm and flood risks worsen, particularly for older adults. Lori Hunter is a professor of Sociology and director of the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado-Boulder. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions in this commentary are solely the opinions of the author.
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ghislaine Maxwell was not Jeffrey Epstein's sole enabler. So why is she the only one in prison?
Great news, everyone! We can all stop thinking about Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with the sex trafficking of minors in 2019 and found dead in his Manhattan jail cell shortly after, apparently of suicide. Great minds have looked into the case and discovered there is nothing more to uncover. So don't waste your time wondering which powerful people might have been part of Epstein's alleged trafficking operation. There's nothing to see here – nothing at all. Case officially closed. That, in essence, was the message from the Trump administration over the weekend. On Sunday, Axios reported on a memo from Trump's justice department and the FBI that concluded there is no evidence that Epstein was involved in blackmailing people, kept a 'client list' or was murdered. Most importantly, the memo said there is no 'evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties'. This is a big deal because Trump and his lackeys have spent a lot of time and energy dangling Epstein-related conspiracy bait in front of their base, constantly insinuating that they're on the verge of revealing the shocking truth about Epstein's network of elite predators. When asked about an Epstein client list (the one that the new memo says is nonexistent) during a February appearance on Fox News, the US attorney general Pam Bondi said: 'It's sitting on my desk right now to review.' Shortly after that interview there was a big to-do where Epstein-obsessed Maga influencers were invited to the White House and given binders titled the Epstein Files, full of information that Bondi promised 'will make you sick'. Shock horror, there was nothing new or notable in those binders and Maga had a meltdown. Now, a second Epstein-induced meltdown is in full swing. Elon Musk, who is back to publicly fighting with Trump, and has threatened to start a new political party, has been firing off jabs about the justice department's Epstein U-turn. On Monday, Musk, who previously accused Trump of being in the Epstein Files, retweeted a post by a woman called Sarah Fields that said: 'If the entire government is protecting paedophiles, it has officially become the government against the people.' Bit late figuring out the Trump administration doesn't work for 'the people' – but hey, welcome to the resistance, Elon! The conservative activist Robby Starbuck is also fuming. 'Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago,' Starbuck tweeted. 'Now the DOJ she leads claims that there's no Epstein client list. Sorry but this is unacceptable … We deserve answers.' It's always fun when the Maga crowd realise what the people they propelled into power are really like. But why are rightwing voices the loudest on this topic? Starbuck is right that the current situation is unacceptable: everyone should be demanding more answers about Epstein. Everyone should be outraged that there is only one person, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has actually faced justice in what was, by all accounts, a vast trafficking operation. Some people have paid in other ways – in 2023 Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $75m (£60m) to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of women who accused it of helping facilitate Epstein's operations – but Maxwell is the only person to have got prison time. There are, it should be said, a lot of ridiculous Epstein-related conspiracy theories circulating. Those obviously should not be indulged. But I'll tell you what is not a conspiracy: the fact that there are a lot of high-status people who are very interested in covering up their association with the disgraced financier. It is not a conspiracy to say the US has a two-tier justice system where rich and powerful people can do terrible things and face no consequences. Earlier this year, Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein victims, died of suicide. She was the third Epstein accuser who is reported to have died of suicide or a drug overdose. Epstein destroyed countless lives. And he didn't do it alone: he was enabled by 'respectable' people who actively facilitated his crimes. And, more broadly, he was enabled by people who looked the other way, who helped whitewash his reputation, who hobnobbed with him in high society. Those people are still out there, living their best lives. And it is looking increasingly likely they will never be held accountable. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Daily Record
16 minutes ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Reform UK MP quits Nigel Farage's party after taking 'specialist legal advice'
James McMurdock removed the party from himself last week due to questions over business propriety. An MP who 'suspended himself' from Reform UK over questions related to Covid loans has now left Nigel Farage's party. James McMurdock, the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock "removed the party whip from himself" last week pending the outcome of a probe into allegations around "business propriety during the pandemic". The Sunday Times published a story on Saturday which alleged two businesses connected to Mr McMurdock took out Covid-19 loans totalling £70,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic, one of which had no employees. Today, he said he "had a chance to take specialist legal advice from an expert in the relevant field" since the loans came to light. Writing on social media site X, he added: "In light of that advice, which is privileged and which I choose to keep private at this time, I have decided to continue my parliamentary career as an independent MP where I can focus 100% on the interests of my constituents." The move leaves the party with just four sitting MPs, following the departure of Rupert Lowe earlier this year in a furious dispute with Mr Farage and the party's chairman Zia Yusuf. The Sunday Times reported allegations Mr McMurdock's firms, JAM Financial Ltd and Gym Live Health and Fitness Ltd, borrowed £70,000 in Covid Bounce Back loans in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. In 2020, it's claimed, JAM Financial - which had no employees until the pandemic - took out a loan of £50,000 - the maximum available for medium-sized businesses. Mr McMurdoch transferred his shares in the firm to his mother and subsequently resigned as a director in 2021. Gym Live, which was dormant until January 2021, borrowed £20,000 in the same year. Both companies were in the process of being struck off the Companies House register - but on the same day in February 2023 the move was halted after the regulator received an objection from a third party, according to the Sunday Times. In his statement, Mr Anderson wrote: "I have today received a call from James McMurdock who has advised me, as Chief Whip, that he has removed the party whip from himself pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that are likely to be published by a national newspaper." He added: "The allegations relate to business propriety during the pandemic and before he became an MP. At Reform UK we take these matters very seriously and James has agreed to cooperate in full with any investigation. We will not be commenting further at this moment." Mr McMurdock has not publicly commented on the suspension or allegations, but is reported to have told the Times to "be very careful". He was elected MP for South Basildon & East Thurrock after getting 98 more votes than the Tory Stephen Metcalfe in July's election. It later emerged he had served time in jail for repeatedly kicking his former girlfriend in 2006. James McMurdock had previously claimed he was sent to a young offenders' institution for "pushing" the victim on a drunken night out. However, court documents obtained by The Times reveal the reason given for his sentence was 'kicking to victim on around four times'. A sentencing report said the crime "requires immediate punishment", while a pre-sentence report suggested there was a "lack of willingness to comply". The victim's mum claimed the attack "left marks on her body" and said it took two security guards to pull Mr McMurdock off her. The assault happened at the end of a night out in 2006, and Mr McMurdock was sentenced to 21 days after admitting the attack. His conviction came to light when the victims' mother contacted the Daily Mail voicing her anger that he had been allowed to stand as an MP.
Campaign ME
16 minutes ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Your Bazaar sonic identity: A gold-winning sound for a new kind of marketplace
WithFeeling partnered with Your Bazaar to craft a sonic identity that stood out in the crowded UAE e-commerce space – something vibrant, cross-cultural and unmissable on radio. The brief was simple: make it memorable. But in a market as diverse as the UAE, where multiple languages and listening habits collide, familiarity was key. So, WithFeeling did something unexpected: they reimagined the most recognisable melody in the world. By adapting the final phrase of 'Happy Birthday' – which is out of copyright – WithFeeling matched the brand's six-syllable name – 'your-baz-aar-dot-ae' – to a tune everyone knows. The result was a jingle that felt instantly familiar yet cleverly fresh. Listeners didn't always clock the reference immediately – which made it all the more memorable. It sparked curiosity, made people smile and helped the brand stay top of mind without them even trying. But it didn't stop there. WithFeeling designed a suite of supporting sonic cues to reinforce the product experience: CLICK CLICK – effortless browsing – effortless browsing DING DONG – doorstep delivery – doorstep delivery KA CHING – secure transactions and opportunity Each sound effect was tightly tied to the Your Bazaar brand promise and designed to work across a wide range of touchpoints – from mobile app alerts and onboarding videos to TikTok ads and radio stings. These weren't just audio garnishes. They were tactical, hardworking assets that delivered brand consistency wherever sound was heard. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WithFeeling (@withfeelingofficial) Adaptability was also baked in. The same melody flexes to local markets with regional endings – '.ae', '.sa', '.om' and '.qa' – making localisation quick, simple and effective without compromising the core sonic identity. To ensure the work performed, WithFeeling tested the assets internally and externally using Veritonic analytics. The results showed strong attribution, high recall and an uplift in perceived brand warmth and trust. The identity also resonated across diverse audience groups – a key factor in its effectiveness. The campaign didn't just work in theory. It performed in the real world. The jingle is now heard in taxis, TikToks, YouTube bumpers, and streaming platforms – wherever the audience lives and listens. It's recognisable, joyful and culturally smart – and earned Gold at the Transform Awards MEA 2025 for Best Use of Audio Branding. More than just a jingle, Your Bazaar now has a sound it can own. One that makes people feel something – and act on it.
