onthedarkside

With steel-clad security and tsarist extravagance, a mansion said to belong to Vladimir Putin has all the trappings of a ruler seeking to maintain power from a remote lair. The £1 billion ($1.37bn) residence has taken on a new light as the Russian president's catastrophic war in Ukraine makes him appear vulnerable to threats on home soil. Overlooking the Black Sea, the huge Gelendzhik Palace is visible from satellites in a remote part of the Krasnodar Krai region to the south-west of the country. READ MORE https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/28/inside-the-russian-palace-dubbed-putins-innermost-dream-18837742/

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A federal judge has ruled for a Colorado school district after a student sued to wear a sash reflecting the Mexican and American flags at graduation Saturday. The lawsuit said the district violated Naomi Peña Villasano’s “constitutionally protected right to free speech.” Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund attorneys, representing Villasano, also sought a temporary restraining order to allow Villasano to wear the sash at the May 27 ceremony while the court considered their claims. But Judge Nina Y. Wang on Friday denied that motion. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/27/us/colorado-student-graduation-mexican-american-flag/index.html

Ron DeSantis just had a tumultuous launch of his presidential campaign, to say the least. But the Florida governor appears more concerned with the fact that the liberal elites are trying to keep his wife, Casey, off magazine covers. “If she were a Democrat, she’d be on every fashion magazine,” DeSantis said on The Mark Levin Show on Wednesday. “But because we’re conservative, we know that that’s not what happens. In reality, it will be the opposite, where they try to really attack.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/ron-desantis-says-wife-casey-would-be-on-magazine-covers-if-she-were-a-democrat

AUSTIN, Texas — In a historic vote Saturday, the Texas House of Representatives decided to impeach Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton over allegations of illegal activities related to one of his political donors. Paxton will immediately and temporarily be suspended from his duties pending a trial in the state Senate. Rep. David Spiller, a Republican who serves on the House General Investigating Committee, told members that, even though he thinks Paxton has a "brilliant legal mind," he still violated the law. READ MORE https://www.npr.org/2023/05/27/1178606035/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-house-republican-attorney-general-investigation

A government official in India has been suspended after he ordered a reservoir to be drained to retrieve his phone. It took three days to pump millions of litres of water out of the dam, after Rajesh Vishwas dropped the device while taking a selfie. By the time it was found, the phone was too water-logged to work. READ MORE https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65726193

WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday released a comprehensive plan to counter antisemitism across the U.S. that includes such things as addressing lack of education about the Holocaust, security at Jewish institutions and the proliferation of conspiracy theories on the Internet. The strategy features four pillars: increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism, improving safety for Jewish communities, reversing the normalization of antisemitism and building solidarity among religious groups. "We must say clearly and forcefully that antisemitism and all forms of hate and violence have no place in America," President Joe Biden said in a video clip at an event announcing the plan, which he said is the "most ambitious and comprehensive U.S. government-led effort to fight antisemitism in American history." https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/white-house-unveils-strategy-combat-antisemitism-rcna86243

The Department of Justice has opened a criminal hacking probe into how behind-the-scenes footage of fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson was leaked to media organizations in recent months, according to a letter the federal agency sent the right-wing cable network this week. US Attorney Roger Handberg and Assistant US Attorney Jay Trezevant notified Fox News of the investigation in a letter dated Thursday. The letter, which CNN obtained, said that the Justice Department “presently views Fox Corporation as one of the potential victim-witnesses of the alleged criminal conduct under investigation.” READ MORE https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/26/media/tucker-carlson-doj-criminal-hacking-probe/index.html

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A post has been removed: 17. The ASEAN NOW news team gathers and disseminates news bulletins from Thai and international sources, and republishes them in the news forums for our members' information and enjoyment. Our news team works hard to bring quality content to the news forums and should be respected for their efforts. Comments such as "slow news day" or "clickbait headline" are disrespectful and unwelcome. Such comments will be sanctioned. Original articles, especially in the Thai or foreign language press can sometimes have grammatical mistakes or misspellings. ASEAN NOW is not responsible for these nor does ASEAN NOW have the right to alter content it is reprinting from another source. Similarly, ASEAN NOW is not responsible for any opinions reflected or quoted in reprinted news stories.

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Texas lawmakers have passed a bill that will allow unlicensed chaplains into schools to serve in school counseling positions. The law, passed in a 84-60 vote in the state House Wednesday, will allow school districts to decide whether they want a chaplain who isn’t certified by the state working alongside counselors and mental health services in their schools. The legislation already passed the Texas Senate and now will go to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is likely to sign it into law. https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4019731-texas-passes-bill-to-let-chaplains-serve-as-counselors-in-schools/

Actor Tom Hanks has told graduates from Harvard University in the US that "truth is sacred" and urged them to fight to defend it. The two-time Oscar winner was the main speaker at the prestigious institution's commencement ceremony for students completing degrees. He received an honorary arts degree himself. "The truth to some is no longer empirical," he told an audience of more than 9,000 people. READ MORE https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65720065

Prosecutors in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal case have released to his attorneys a recording of Trump and a witness, whose identity was not disclosed, according to a document the office made public Friday. The document, called an automatic discovery form, describes the nature of the charges against a defendant and a broad overview of the evidence that prosecutors will present at Trump's preliminary hearing or at trial. Trump's attorneys and media organizations, including CBS News, had repeatedly requested that such a form be made public in the weeks since Trump's arrest on April 4. READ MORE https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-criminal-case-prosecutors-recording-of-trump-and-a-witness/

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The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) kept an investigation into the Clinton Foundation open until the last days of his presidency, The New York Times reported Monday. The Times reported that documents and interviews with former DOJ officials revealed that the investigation continued significantly beyond the point when FBI agents and prosecutors knew that the case would not result in any charges being filed. The Times obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request. READ MORE https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4016912-trump-justice-department-kept-clinton-foundation-case-open-until-last-days-of-presidency-report/

Elon Musk's brain-chip firm says it has received approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to conduct its first tests on humans. The billionaire's Neuralink implant company wants to help restore people's vision and mobility by connecting brains with computers. It says it does not have immediate plans to start recruiting participants. Mr Musk's previous ambitions to begin tests came to nothing. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65717487

German authorities have serious indications of possible data protection violations by Tesla, Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Thursday, citing the data protection office in the state where the carmaker has its European gigafactory. Handelsblatt’s report said the U.S. electric car manufacturer has failed to adequately protect data from customers, employees and business partners, citing 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked to the newspaper by a whistleblower. The data protection supervisory authority in the Netherlands, where Tesla’s European headquarters is located, has been informed of the case, the newspaper said, adding that Tesla also filed a preliminary report to the Dutch authorities on the matter. READ MORE https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/26/authorities-looking-into-possible-tesla-data-protection-violations.html

British Cycling is to ban transgender women from the female category of its elite competitions following a nine-month review and consultation. Under a new participation policy that the governing body said was "predicated on fairness", such athletes will compete in an 'open category' with men. The female category will be "for those whose sex was assigned female at birth". READ MORE https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/65718748

Joe Biden is “better” than Donald Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday before adding that he hoped the current US President would be re-elected for a second time. The centre-Left leader accused Mr Trump of being divisive and said it would be bad for Germany and the US if the Republican was to return to the White House. Recent polls show Joe Biden has an edge over potential Republican challengers Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis as the November 2024 vote draws closer. READ MORE https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/05/22/olaf-scholz-hopes-biden-reelected-as-better-than-trump/ No Paywall Archive Link

Earlier this year, U.S. regulators settled on a new strategy for COVID-19 vaccines. Like the annual flu shot, the vaccines will be updated each year based on the virus’ evolution, then rolled out in the fall. Accordingly, on 15 June, advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will weigh which strain or strains of SARS-CoV-2 should make up the next iteration of vaccine, so that the agency can greenlight a version for companies to mass-produce. READ MORE https://www.science.org/content/article/covid-19-vaccines-may-undergo-major-overhaul-fall

Off topic troll posts removed. Thai Royalists Gather at US Embassy, Petition US to Stop Intervening with Thai Politics

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