LIBERAL ARTS NOT STEM

Latest Fulbright scholars to focus on conservation, arts, climate change

By Mark Moran


Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Five people have received Fulbright-National Geographic Awards to conduct research in Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Iceland, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka, the State Department announced Thursday.

"Now in its 11th year, the Fulbright-National Geographic Award provides additional funding and resources, through a partnership with the National Geographic Society, to enhance the reach and impact of select Fulbright U.S. Study/Research Awards that focus on conservation, technology, education, and storytelling in their respective host countries," the State Department said in a release.

The State Department partners with the National Geographic Society on the Fulbright awards. The two also combine to fund the program.

The recipients' work will focus on conservation issues and work toward more sustainability, the release said. That includes how climate change affects the world's oldest living microorganisms in Australia, discovering the potential for life on Mars, and encouraging students to learn about ocean conservation in Papua New Guinea.
They will also study the human ecology of glaciers in Iceland through traditional music and environmental storytelling, and research traditional ceramic arts and oral histories in Antigua and Barbuda, according to the National Geographic Society. They will also look at the relationship between farmers and elephants in Sri Lanka.


"Our abilities to encounter and produce sound are means through which we experience the wonder of our world," said environmental composer and audio storyteller Konstantine Vlasis, who will be stationed in Iceland to do his work. "It is through listening, then, that we are able to perceive and imagine the environmental futures we hope to foster for posterity."

Other recipients include, Artis Henderson, a conservation journalist going to Australia, Chelsea McMaster a ceramic artist heading to Antigua and Barbuda, Jamil Wilson, a marine biology educator and researcher who will be based in Papua New Guinea, and Sateesh Venkatesh, a conservation behaviorist who will be based in Sri Lanka.

Dronegate: Canada women's soccer team loses Olympics spying appeal

Canada Soccer also was fined $225,000, while head coach Bev Priestman and two assistants were suspended for one year.

By Thomas Maresca

Aug. 1, 2024 


Canada women's soccer team lost its appeal Wednesday over a drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics. Coach Bev Priestman (shown) and two assistants were suspended for one year after FIFA investigators determined members of her support staff used drones to film opponents during practices. File Photo by Joel Carrett/EPA-EFE

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Canadian Olympic women's soccer team lost an appeal over a drone-spying scandal that cost it an unprecedented six points in group standings, but still managed to advance to the quarterfinal round with a 1-0 victory over Colombia.

Soccer's international governing body FIFA docked six points from the Canadian team's group stage total after staffers were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand's training sessions before competition started last week.

Canada Soccer also was fined $225,000, while head coach Bev Priestman and two assistants were suspended for one year.

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer filed an appeal with an Olympic tribunal seeking to cancel or reduce the points deduction, but the effort was rejected on Wednesday ahead of the team's final group stage match.

Defending gold medalists Canada scored 2-1 victories over France and New Zealand in their first two contests but entered Wednesday's match against Colombia with zero points in the standings.

The Canadian women were able to hold on for a tight 1-0 victory in Nice on the strength of a Vanessa Gilles goal in the 61st minute. The three points earned were enough for a second-place finish in Group A standings and a ticket to the knockout round, which they will face Germany in Marseille on Saturday.

"We always knew that we could do it," Gilles told reporters. "The chances were stacked against us, but we pulled through. We stayed together through it all."

While the players have not been implicated, the shadow of the spying scandal has hovered over the team throughout Paris 2024.

"We haven't slept in the last three days, we haven't eaten, we've been crying," Gilles said earlier this week. "It's not us, we're not cheaters. We're damn good players, we're a damn good team."

The Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Olympic tribunal that rejected the appeal did not explainl the reasoning behind its decision, saying in a brief statement that it would reveal the full details at a later date.

However, the FIFA report on its investigation, also released Wednesday, painted a fuller portrait of a drone practice that Canada Soccer admitted may have been "systemically embedded in the culture of the women's national team."

In one email supplied by Canada Soccer to FIFA, an unnamed performance analyst registered an objection to "spying" on other teams to coach Bev Priestman.

"As discussed yesterday, in terms of the 'spying' conversation, I came off the meeting with clarity that you understood my reasons for me being unwilling to do this moving forward," the email dated March 20 read.

The analyst cited moral qualms and the impact on her professional reputation as reasons for refusing to participate.

A separate email sent by Priestman to another recipient on the same day claimed the use of drones is a common practice.

"Seeking your advice and input here regarding this formal email on spying," Priestman wrote. "It's something the analyst has always done and I know there is a whole operation on the men's side with regards to it."

"As for scouting it can be the difference between winning and losing, and all top 10 teams do it," she added.

Canada Soccer has not yet publicly responded to the FIFA report, but issued a joint statement with the Canadian Olympic Commission expressing disappointment in the arbitration court's ruling.

"While disappointed in the outcome of our appeal, we commend the players for their incredible resilience and grit over the course of this tournament," the statement said.

The spying scandal broke last week when the New Zealand Olympic Committee announced that a drone was seen flying over their women's soccer team's training session in Saint-Etienne.

New Zealand Football reported the incident to French police, who then detained a member of Canada's support staff.

On Saturday, Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said that he was looking into allegations about the drone-spying practice going back "several years."

"The more I learn about this specific matter, the more concerned I get about a potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring, which is obviously completely unacceptable," Blue said during a virtual press conference.

"I've been receiving a lot of anecdotal feedback about the history of the issue as it relates to both programs, as it relates to the current situation on the men's team," he said.

The Canadian women's team won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020 after winning bronze in London 2012 and Rio 2016.

The medal round kicks off on Saturday and runs until the final Aug. 10 in Paris.

ABOLISH PRISON
DOJ documents excessive force, isolation, sexual abuse at Texas juvenile facilities

By Don Jacobson


Giddings State School in Giddings, Texas, is one of five Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities found to have violated the constitutional rights of child prisoners in a Department of Justice report released Thursday. Photo by WhisperToMe/Wikimedia Commons



Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Texas penal officials are violating the constitutional rights of child prisoners and breaching several federal laws at the five juvenile justice centers they operate, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Following a "comprehensive investigation," Justice Department officials accused the Texas Juvenile Justice Department of "routinely" violating the constitutional rights of children in all five facilities by "exposing them to excessive force and prolonged isolation" and failing to protect them from sexual abuse.

The TJJD also failed to provide adequate mental health services for young detainees and has violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by not providing special education to children with disabilities, the DOJ alleged.

In addition, Texas officials have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not making "reasonable modifications" necessary to permit prisoners with disabilities to participate in programming required for release, federal investigators said.

Related

Congressional leaders push for limits on solitary confinement
Brazil criticized on children's rights
Longtime inmate and key figure in juvenile sentence reforms finally wins parole

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement the TJJD "engaged in a pattern of abuse, deprivation of essential services and disability-related discrimination that seriously harms children and undermines their rehabilitation."

Texas officials, she added, "have an obligation to keep these children safe, to teach them, to provide them necessary health services and to treat them fairly, without discrimination."

DOJ officials released a 73-page report detailing their findings from the probe of the five TJJD youth facilities across the state, including Evins Regional Juvenile Center, Gainesville State School, Giddings State School, McClennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility, and Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex.

Among its findings were that children spend "prolonged periods of time" in isolation, under "stark conditions" and without access to adequate mental health and educational services.

They also concluded children endure "sexual abuse by both staff and other children," causing "serious harm" and violating the U.S. Constitution.

TJJD also fails to provide adequate substance use disorder treatment and treatment for children who engage in self-harm or have suicidal thoughts, and found that TJJD's response to children's behavior "exposes children to excessive force and isolation."

"The conditions in the facilities are unacceptable," said U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. "Our investigation found that children in these facilities face sexual abuse by staff and other children.

"Tragically, this is not the first investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at TJJD facilities. Since the early 2000s, other investigations by Texas state agencies and the Texas Rangers substantiated sexual abuse allegations of the children at TJJD facilities, yet this horrifying problem persists."

TJJD officials had not issued a response to the findings by Thursday afternoon.

The DOJ assessment comes two years after an investigation by the nonprofit Texas Tribune found that the five juvenile lockups were "dangerously understaffed" with turnover rate for detention officers hitting more than 70% in 2022.

The news outlet found that on weekends, youth are often locked alone in cramped cells with only a mounted bookshelf and a thin mattress on a concrete block for up to 23 hours a day. Nearly half of those locked in TJJD facilities were put on suicide watch in 2022, it reported.

South Korea union pickets outside Samsung chairman’s house

By AFP
August 1, 2024


Union executives gathered on Thursday outside Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong's house - Copyright AFP Anthony WALLACE

Leaders of a South Korean union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics staged a protest Thursday outside the house of the company’s chairman and heir, after fresh negotiations failed.

Thousands of union members stopped working on July 8 for what was initially meant to be a three-day strike, part of a long-running battle over pay and benefits. The union subsequently extended the work stoppage “indefinitely”.

It is unclear exactly how many workers have downed tools, and Samsung has said the action is not affecting production, posting record growth and profits earlier this week for the second quarter.

“If a delay occurs in semiconductor processing, the effects won’t be immediate. It takes weeks or months,” Lee Hyun-kuk, vice president of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), told AFP.

The union engaged in eleventh-hour talks with management for three days, until Wednesday, but has failed to reach an agreement.

Union executives gathered on Thursday outside Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s house, holding pickets that read “Samsung Electronics’ strike, Lee Jae-yong should be accountable”.

Another displayed a picture of Lee holding a finger to his mouth with the caption, “Shh! Labour union, what’s that? Samsung strike, what’s that?”

A handful of police were deployed at the premises and the protest was interrupted by the police warning the union they were not allowed to chant.

“In the 25 days since the strike began, all Lee has done is attend the wedding of the son of Asia’s richest man and give out Samsung phones to Olympic athletes that are worth over 30 billion won ($22 million),” union member Kim Jae-won told reporters.

Lee was a guest at the wedding of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son Anant in July.

Last week he attended a banquet co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at the Louvre Museum.

The union claimed that the company was trying to break the strike with illegal means, including creating a “blacklist” of strike participants.

“We will publicise all of this,” Son Woo-mok, head of NSEU, told AFP.

“Labour suppression, unfair labour practices, industrial accidents, the list continues.”

Samsung said Wednesday it was “communicating and discussing to ensure that this labour union strike ends early”, adding there was “no problem with responding to our customer volume”.

The first labour union at Samsung Electronics was formed in the late 2010s.

The National Samsung Electronics Union, which has around 36,000 members, or nearly a quarter of the company’s total workforce, claims labour organising remains taboo at the company.

Two years ago, the union staged a demonstration in front of Lee’s residence, successfully securing three additional holidays.

In 2020, former Samsung employees faced criticism for their unorthodox protest methods, which included grilling pork belly, drinking soju, and strumming guitars outside Lee’s home.

Drone geeks help Ukraine hang on in the ruins of Chasiv Yar

By AFP
August 1, 2024

Russia has relentlessly pounded the town since April 

- Copyright AFP Anatolii STEPANOV

Maryke VERMAAK, Florent VERGNES

Once a vibrant industrial hub, Chasiv Yar in Ukraine’s east has been transformed into a smouldering wreck of mostly deserted streets and empty buildings.

Before Russia’s invasion, it was home to around 12,000 people, but is now largely abandoned save for soldiers and a small number of civilians.

Along roads strewn with debris and overgrown vegetation, AFP journalists could hear the frequent detonation of artillery and the buzz of a drone zipping across the sky.

“The current situation is difficult and tense,” said Andrii, call-signed “Chip”, a 29-year-old commander in Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Battalion tasked with co-ordinating the drones.

“They are trying to overwhelm us with the number of infantry,” he said.

The frontline town in the eastern Donetsk region has long been a target for Moscow as it seeks to progress towards the major city of Kramatorsk, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

Staying outside for even a few seconds can be fatal.

But despite everything, “the Russians have not entered the city,” Andrii told AFP.

– Drones give ‘advantage’ –

In a dimly lit basement near the ruins of Chasiv Yar, Ukrainian army major Anwar pored over an array of computer screens showing a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield.

“It’s like a game of chess,” said Anwar, his eyes fixated on footage beamed from the swarms of combat drones flying over the town.

As Moscow’s troops close in on the town’s suburbs, unleashing non-stop bombardment since April, outgunned Ukrainian troops have turned to the drones to slow their enemy’s advance.

“Sometimes we have the advantage, sometimes they do, it all depends on the number of drones in the air,” said Anwar, sitting in the basement that acts as a command centre.

But for Kyiv’s army, which has suffered months of ammunition shortages and a critical lack of manpower, the drones have become a crucial line of defence.

Surrounding Anwar is a team of hand-picked specialists, to pilot and repair the swarm of drones and jam or hack into those belonging to the enemy.

Among them is Mykhailo, a 28-year-old former computer scientist nicknamed “Sempai” who can work “miracles with computers”, according to Anwar.

“If you blow on them, they’ll fall over. But they’ve killed more Russians than the most muscular commando,” said Anwar of his comrades.

“The geeks are saving this country,” he laughed.

– ‘It’s always difficult’ –

Throughout the day Sempai and his colleagues are tasked with scanning live images, looking for a pile of pixels likely to be a Russian soldier or piece of equipment.

When a target is spotted, he issues orders to those on the ground, deciding whether to attack it with drones or artillery, based on what the cameras show.

“Sometimes I dream I’m flying, I can see our guys from the sky,” Sempai explained, his hands glued to the keyboard.

“But it’s always difficult,” he said, trailing off into an awkward silence.

Faced with the daily horrors of war, Anwar admitted that the routine had “dulled his feelings” for the enemy and even his fellow soldiers.

He recalled when one of his pilots became upset after killing someone for the first time.

“I told him: ‘No, you’ve killed an asshole’, and then he took a step back,” he said.

In the long run, some of his men feel that killing via the screens is “like a game”, he said, staring into space when remembering the death of one of his colleagues.

He said he was sad at first, but that this feeling had now given way to revenge.

“Now the tears have gone,” he told AFP.

afptv-fv/cad/fg

BP to develop new oil and gas fields in Iraq
BEYOND PETROLEUM NO MORE
ByAFP
August 1, 2024

A picture released by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani shows him looking on as BP CEO, Murray Auchincloss (L) and Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani al-Sawad sign a memorandum of understanding to develop oil and gas fields in Kirkuk. - Copyright AFP/File Schneyder MENDOZA

Iraq signed an agreement with British energy giant British Petroleum on Thursday to develop four oil and gas fields in the northern province of Kirkuk.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Iraq’s Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani and BP’s CEO Murray Auchincloss, Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani’s media office said.

“The memorandum includes the rehabilitation and development of the four oilfields under the North Oil Company in Kirkuk: the Kirkuk oilfield, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz oilfields,” the statement said.

“This initiative is part of the government’s efforts to optimally invest in promising energy opportunities, aiming to increase and enhance oil production and gas and solar energy investments,” it added.

BP is one of the biggest foreign players in Iraq’s oil sector, with a history of producing oil in the country dating back to the 1920s when it was still under British mandate.

According to the World Bank, Iraq has 145 billion barrels of proven oil reserves — among the largest in the world — amounting to 96 years’ worth of production at the current rate.

But Iraq aims to keep exploring to boost its crude reserves to more than 160 billion barrels, Abdel Ghani said in May.

Despite its vast oil reserves, Iraq hopes to increase natural gas production to help reduce dependence on imports from neighbouring Iran, a crucial supplier for Iraqi power generation.

Sudani has repeatedly stressed the need for Iraq to diversify energy sources to ease Iraq’s chronic power outages, especially during summer.

To reduce its dependence on Iranian gas, Baghdad has started importing electricity from Jordan and Turkey, and it hopes to start connecting to the electricity grid of Gulf countries later this year.

From Blacksburg to Ethiopia: Veterinary professors tackle food insecurity


ByDr. Tim Sandle
DIGITAL JOURNAL

August 1, 2024


Fishermen in Kinmen said there was 'no real impact' from China's two-day military drills - Copyright AFP I-Hwa CHENG

Researcher Carla Savage from the Department of Population Health Sciences at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and Global Opportunity Initiative has been visiting Ethiopia in order to forge partnerships, gain insights, and lay the groundwork for global research relating to food security.

The Global Opportunity Initiative, created and led by CALS Global in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, aims to empower the faculty to deepen their global awareness, to form international networks, and to compete for global funding.

Their journey took Savage from the bustling capital of Addis Ababa to the agricultural heartland surrounding the host university, Jimma University. Along the way, she encountered challenges that went far beyond academic theories – she witnessed firsthand the complex interplay of food insecurity, limited resources, and remarkable human resilience.

One key moment came during a visit to an orphanage. “We met this woman who had taken in 17 homeless children,” Savage recollects. “Despite limited means, she was providing them with care, education, and hope.”

This encounter helped to develop a vision: using aquaponics to address nutritional needs and provide valuable skills training.

Aquaponics is a food production system that couples aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish, crayfish, snails or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) whereby the nutrient-rich aquaculture water is fed to hydroponically grown plants.

“We can build on this foundation using aquaponics,” Savage said. “The goal is to use local resources with a focus on recycling, repurposing, and reusing materials. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or a multimillion-dollar thing.”

This proposed aquaponics system addresses immediate nutritional needs while simultaneously offering educational opportunities in science, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Wenzel’s public health background and Savage’s aquaculture expertise complemented the expertise of other faculty on the Global Opportunity Initiative team, allowing them to envision holistic solutions.

The trip also enabled cultural exchange. The experience has already begun shaping their approach to teaching and research at Virginia Tech. They envision exchange programs, research partnerships, and opportunities for the veterinary college’s students to gain invaluable global perspectives.

The potential projects identified during the trip span multiple disciplines such as engineers for the aquaponics systems, agricultural experts for crop management, public health professionals for community outreach.

Israelis demand hostages' return as war hits 300 days

THE WAR ON GAZA WAS NEVER ABOUT THE HOSTAGES

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Shouting slogans and waving national flags, hundreds of Israelis marched in Tel Aviv to demand the return of hostages, as they endured their 300th day of captivity in Gaza Thursday.


Issued on: 01/08/2024

Supporters of Israelis held hostage in Gaza demonstrate near the defence ministry in Tel Aviv on the 300th day of their captivity, demanding a deal for their release 

© GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP

"There is no victory until the hostages are back," chanted the demonstrators, many wearing t-shirts emblazoned with "300 Days", near the defence ministry in the country's commercial hub, an AFP correspondent reported.

The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on October 7 after Palestinian militants attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized 251 people during the attack, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

"As we stand here today... dozens still remain in captivity, enduring unimaginable suffering," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group said in a statement before the rally.

"Among these hostages are two young children: Kfir Bibas, who was just nine months old when kidnapped and has now spent more of his life in captivity than out of it, and Ariel Bibas, who will mark his fifth birthday this Monday in captivity."

The forum called on the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign a truce deal that will bring the hostages home.

"The deal represents the only viable path to secure their release, end the current conflict and initiate a process of healing and reconstruction in the region," it said.

Since the October 7 attack, Israel has mounted a blistering military campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 39,480 people, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not provide details of civilian and militant deaths.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for delays in reaching a ceasefire deal. Netanyahu has said several leading Hamas figures would not have been eliminated had he bowed to pressure to reach an agreement.

Thursday's rally comes a day after Iran and Hamas announced that the movement's chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had been killed in Tehran, blaming an Israeli air strike.

Israel has declined to comment.

Haniyeh was killed a day after a top military commander of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, was killed in an Israeli air strike.

And earlier on Thursday, Israel said it had killed Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, in an air strike in Gaza on July 13. There was no confirmation from Hamas.

"I can't believe it's been 300 days" since the hostages were taken, said Osnat Sharabi-Matalon whose two brothers were seized on October 7. One of them has died, according to Israeli officials.

Emmanuel Navon, a political science professor at the University of Tel Aviv, said the hostages remained a thorny dilemma for the Israeli government.

"We do not know if we were really close to an agreement before Haniyeh was eliminated," Navon told AFP.

"We also don't know if Israeli military pressure is getting us closer to liberating the hostages than the negotiations (with Hamas)," he added.

© 2024 AFP

Netanyahu accused of sabotaging cease-fire talks with assassination of Hamas leader

BIBI'S WAR IS NOT ABOUT THE  HOSTAGES

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams
July 31, 2024 

People hold up a portrait of assassinated Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran on July 31, 2024. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

The political leader of Hamas was assassinated early Wednesday in what the group said was an Israeli attack on his residence in the Iranian capital of Tehran, which he was visiting to attend the inauguration of the country's newly elected president.

The killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who became the head of Hamas' political arm in 2017, sparked warnings that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing all he can to undermine cease-fire talks with the Palestinian group after they showed signs of progress in recent weeks.

"Netanyahu has systematically sabotaged cease-fire talks because ending the war will likely end his political career," Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said following the assassination of Haniyeh, a key figure in the negotiations.

"The assassination buys Netanyahu several weeks, if not months, in which there will be no serious expectation of a cease-fire deal," Parsi argued. "Thus, the war will continue, as will Netanyahu's reign as prime minister."

Haniyeh's killing prompted a furious response from Iran, whose supreme leader vowed a "harsh response"—heightening the chances of a long-feared all-out war between Israel and Iran. Earlier this year, Israel killed several Iranian commanders in a strike on Tehran's consulate in Syria's capital, prompting Iran to retaliate with a drone attack.

Iranian lawmakers are expected to hold an emergency meeting about Haniyeh's assassination later Wednesday. As of this writing, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has yet to comment on the killing.

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) top prosecutor, Karim Khan, was seeking an arrest warrant against Haniyeh for war crimes committed on October 7. Khan has also applied for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

"How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?"

The suspected Israeli strike in Tehran on Wednesday was launched just hours after Israel's military bombed the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing several people—including two children—in retaliation for a deadly attack on the occupied Golan Heights. Israel claimed its attack on Beirut killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, but subsequent reporting suggested he may have survived the strike.

News of Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran came days after top officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States met in Rome over the weekend to continue negotiating a possible deal to end Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

The New York Timesreported that "despite progress in recent weeks, the monthslong negotiations remain stalled over several critical issues, particularly the extent to which Israeli forces would remain in Gaza during a truce."

"Earlier in July, Israel hardened its position on maintaining checkpoints along a strategic highway south of Gaza City, weeks after suggesting that it could compromise," the Times added. "It was unclear on Sunday if Mr. Netanyahu had allowed negotiators to show greater flexibility on the matter during the talks. Mr. Netanyahu faces pressure from members of his right-wing government to stick to a tougher line. The length of the truce is also a source of dispute: Hamas wants a permanent truce, while Israel wants the option to resume fighting."

Egypt said Haniyeh's killing is a signal from Israel that it lacks "political will for deescalation," according toAl Jazeera.

Qatar's prime minister, meanwhile, wrote on social media: "Political assassinations and continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?"

Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, warned that with the assassination of Haniyeh, "Netanyahu isn't playing chicken, he wants to crash the car."

A spokesperson for the White House, which has backed Israel's war on Gaza with diplomatic support and billions of dollars in weaponry, declined to comment on the suspected Israeli strike.

The future of Rupert Murdoch's media empire could hinge on a legal effort in Nevada

The Conversation
July 31, 2024 

Rupert Murdoch (AFP)

Conservative media titan Rupert Murdoch is making news again – this time, with a secretive effort to change an irrevocable trust. That trust has important ownership interests in both Fox Corp. and News Corp., so it affects broadcast news as well as The Wall Street Journal and other publications.

Under the current terms of the trust, upon Murdoch’s death, his four oldest children – Lachlan, James, Elisabeth and Prudence – will have “an equal voice” in determining the future of the news empire.

But as The New York Times recently reported, the 93-year-old Murdoch has been trying to alter the trust to ensure his oldest son, Lachlan, stays in charge of his media properties. The legal dispute played out behind closed doors for months, and it might have stayed there if the Times hadn’t obtained a sealed court document shedding light on the conflict.

Murdoch is calling his efforts to change the terms Project Harmony, reportedly out of the belief that doing so would head off any intrafamily wrangling.

The effort to change the trust is so secretive that a spokesperson for the Nevada probate court where the proceedings are occurring stated that all information related to the case is confidential, based on a court order.

As law professors who teach trusts and estates, we are intrigued by the publicity surrounding a somewhat obscure method for holding property. Trusts are private documents that don’t get filed in court unless there’s a dispute.


All about trusts

Trusts are an estate planning technique for giving away property. In our law classes on trusts and estates, we explain how they can be useful for minimizing estate taxes, protecting assets, making charitable contributions, avoiding probate and, in certain circumstances, qualifying for government benefits.

Unlike making an outright gift and transferring full ownership to someone else, the donor of a trust – called a “settlor” – transfers legal control of the gifted property into the trust.

The people who hold the legal title to the property in the trust are called “trustees.” They manage the property and make decisions about how and when to distribute funds to the beneficiaries, who are the actual recipients of trust property.

Trustees are fiduciaries, which means they are under strict legal requirements to manage the property in the sole interests of the beneficiaries. If the property in a trust includes shares in a business, then trustees have the power to exercise any voting rights for those shares.

Trusts allow donors to prolong their control over their property by appointing trustees to carry out their objectives after they die or become incapacitated. Trusts are useful when giving away complex business interests that require extensive supervision and sophisticated decision-making, all of which can be administered by trustees according to the settlor’s preferences stated in the trust.

The view from Nevada

In Nevada, where the Murdoch case is playing out, a settlor can’t unilaterally change any trust’s terms unless the trust itself specifically reserves the right to do so. In other words, trusts are presumed to be irrevocable, or irreversible.

But even when a trust is irrevocable, there are still ways to change its terms.

In any state, including Nevada, irrevocable trusts can be altered by court order if the settlor and all beneficiaries agree to the modification. In some cases, trusts can also be modified without court approval through a process known as “trust decanting,” which can be performed by the trustee without the consent of settlors or beneficiaries.

Nevada is unusually permissive in allowing settlors to maintain secrecy about the trust, even with respect to trust beneficiaries. In most states, trust beneficiaries have much broader rights to receive financial information about the trust.

Nevada also explicitly protects confidentiality in trust proceedings by law, even without a court order. Indeed, having reviewed thousands of trust cases from courts around the country, we find Nevada to be especially protective of the donor’s interests. That may be one reason the Murdoch Family Trust is located there.

The stakes of the dispute

The Murdoch Family Trust holds a variety of types of property, including a family farm in Melbourne, Australia; the Murdoch art collection; and shares in Disney, News Corp. and Fox. The property in the trust is managed by a corporate trustee, Cruden Financial Services.

The trust terms at the center of this dispute appear to stem from Murdoch’s 1999 divorce from his second wife, Anna. She negotiated an agreement to ensure that their three joint children – Lachlan, James and Elisabeth – along with Prudence, Murdoch’s daughter from an earlier marriage, would inherit News Corp.



Rupert Murdoch poses with his then-wife Anna Murdoch and their children, Lachlan, James and Elisabeth, in 1989. Peter Carrette Archive/Getty Images

The trust document sets out what will happen to ownership of the media assets upon Murdoch’s death: His voting share will be transferred to the four oldest children. That could lead to a scenario in which the children are fighting over the future of the media assets. Fear of that outcome seems to have motivated Rupert Murdoch to seek this change to the trust.

Although Lachlan is now the chair of News Corp. and executive chair and CEO of Fox Corporation, the children have already aired some of their disagreements over the political direction of the media companies. For example, James and his wife have criticized Fox’s move to the right. Murdoch may well see this as a threat to the company’s business model, which caters to a conservative audience.

Even though Murdoch’s trust is irrevocable, it reportedly “contains a narrow provision allowing for changes done in good faith and with the sole purpose of benefiting all of its members.” Rupert Murdoch’s argument is that by taking away governance rights from James, Elisabeth and Prudence, Lachlan will be able to manage the family business more profitably, thereby increasing the value of trust assets for all beneficiaries.

Because some of Murdoch’s children object to his proposed governance changes, Murdoch appears to be relying on the power he retained as settlor to modify the trust in good faith for the beneficiaries’ benefit.

A court will decide later this year whether the changes really are in good faith; If so, then Murdoch will be able to change the trust as he would like so that Lachlan can continue to control the family business.

The saga shows the ways that trusts can protect a family business. But when the next generation lacks a shared vision for the future of that business, even irrevocable trusts can’t ensure family harmony.

Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia and Reid Kress Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law and Judge Norma Shapiro Scholar, Rutgers University - Newark


This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.