Category: ESTA News

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the possibility that Americans will be included in the additional hostages to be released on the 26th, the third day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

On this day, Assistant Secretary Sullivan appeared on NBC and CNN one after another and said, “The key to this negotiation is the release of 50 hostages, including women and children, and that includes a total of three Americans, including two women and one child.” said.

“We have reason to believe that the Americans will be released,” Sullivan said. “We are in close dialogue with the governments of Israel, Qatar and Egypt, and we are hopeful that today’s release will include Americans, but at the same time, given that the opponents are terrorist groups, it is difficult to actually make it happen.” “Until then, we have to monitor the situation,” he emphasized.

Regarding the report that the American to be released is 4-year-old Abigail Ethan, he said, “I hope that Abigail will be released and celebrate her fourth birthday in the arms of other family members, even though her parents died in a brutal attack.” “It’s something that needs to be seen,” he explained.

He said, “We currently do not know the exact size of the hostages and whether they are alive.” He added, “Not only Hamas, but also some groups that are loosely linked to them, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), are dividing the hostages, and detaining them. “I know they are doing it,”.

However, he confirmed that “a total of 10 Americans, including 9 U.S. citizens and 1 permanent resident, are among the hostages,” and that “3 of them are women and children.”

Regarding the possibility of extending the temporary ceasefire, which expires in four days, he said, “Israel has already agreed to extend the ceasefire if it releases 10 additional hostages a day.” He reaffirmed the principle that “if you want an extension, you can continue releasing hostages.”

“The responsibility for the choice lies on the shoulders of Hamas,” he said, adding, “Israel will seek to continue its military operations, especially targeting the Hamas leadership.”

Regarding whether U.S. President Joe Biden will continue to support Israel if it resumes airstrikes, he said, “President Biden has made it clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.” “President Biden has also made clear that military strikes are accompanied by an obligation to protect civilians under international law,” Sullivan said, adding, “President Biden is also focused on humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also appeared on CBS in the United States that day and confirmed, “We hope to see Abigail released soon.”

Concerning the possibility of extending the temporary ceasefire, Prime Minister Al Thani said, “I hope so,” and added, “For that to happen, Hamas must confirm the location and well-being of the hostages, and this cannot be known until the last day of the ceasefire.”

Previously, the governments of Egypt and Qatar confirmed that Hamas was planning to release 13 Israeli hostages and that Israel was planning to release 39 Palestinian prisoners.

The state Department of Environment announced that the Washington state government raised about $260 million through a special auction of greenhouse gas emissions rights held for the second time this year.

The Ministry of Environment explained that the reason the special auction was held last week was because there was fierce competition in the regular quarterly auction in August, with bid prices from polluting companies exceeding the government-announced price of $51.90.

The Ministry of Environment announced that so far this year, when the greenhouse gas emission rights auction system first began, a total of 31.9 million emission rights have been sold and more than $1.5 billion has been collected.

The greenhouse gas emission rights sales system is the core of the ‘Climate Promise Act’ enacted in 2021. The state is pressuring large corporations, the main culprits of air pollution, to reduce carbon emissions while selling emission rights as a form of indulgence.

Companies that purchase emission rights can emit 1 ton of carbon per unit. Through this system, the state plans to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit the increase in global temperature to within 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) per year by eliminating Washington state’s carbon emissions by 2050.

In order to promote various projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air pollution over the next two years, the state legislature reflected approximately $2 billion in expected revenue through the auction of greenhouse gas emission rights in the new fiscal year budget.

Last week’s special auction attracted 30 qualified bidders. The Ministry of Environment said that among these were oil companies such as BP and Marathon, methane gas companies such as North American Natural Gas (NNG) and Cascade Natural Gas (CNG), and the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU), which consume large amounts of energy.

Tenderloin Street, downtown San Francisco, California, at 10 a.m. on the 11th when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting opened.

A residential street that was normally so crowded with homeless people that it was difficult to pass by was empty. When I got out of the car, I didn’t notice the stale smell or the sour smell of marijuana that made my head tingle. There wasn’t much trash on the streets, and the garbage truck was spraying water to clean up. Although homeless tents were visible here and there, they were not difficult to pass by.

A store owner in the area said, “The number of homeless people has decreased a lot recently. I don’t know where they have gone, but it seems like the city has removed a lot of tents.” This is why the city began to be renovated in response to a large-scale international diplomatic event attended by the heads of state of 21 countries.

The Tenderloin is only 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Moscone Centre, the APEC conference venue. San Francisco is a representative tourist destination in the western part of the United States, famous for the ‘Golden Gate’. It is also well-known as a vibrant city where young entrepreneurs gather, as it is adjacent to Silicon Valley, the cradle of cutting-edge technology around the world.

However, in recent years, it has been pointed out that it is losing its reputation as a representative tourist destination as the streets are overflowing with homeless people and drug addicts and crimes such as looting occur frequently.

In addition, as telecommuting increased in the aftermath of COVID-19, big tech offices were emptying out and the image of wealthy villages was fading. San Francisco is trying to transform itself by using this APEC meeting as an opportunity to regain its former reputation.

The US daily New York Times (NYT) reported the previous day that San Francisco, which had suffered a large exodus of tech companies in the aftermath of the coronavirus, was seeking to transform using the APEC meeting as an opportunity. There are expectations that this APEC meeting will be an important moment for San Francisco, which is struggling to revive the local economy after the pandemic.

This conference is the largest international event held here since the United Nations International Organization Conference was held in 1945.

“APEC will be a significant moment in San Francisco’s rich history,” said Mayor London Breed.

The city has established a homeless shelter not far from the Moscone Centre and is encouraging the homeless to move there. Garbage used for drug use and thrown on the street was removed, and uneven sidewalk blocks here and there were repaired.

A wall filled with new murals also caught my eye. However, there were also alleys where homeless people were still present.

A Chinese couple who lived here pointed with their hand and said, “If you go over there, there are still homeless people.” As I walked up the block, a sour smell immediately hit me. I quickly saw a tent with close to 10 homeless people in one block. One man stood motionless with his head down, as if he had been administered something.

The store was open, but it was covered with an iron door to prevent accidents, and people walking alone on the street were hard to see. City authorities are busy ensuring that there are no disruptions in welcoming special guests from around the world ahead of the summit on the 15th to 17th, which is the highlight of this conference.

Traffic was controlled around the Moscone Centre, where heads of state gathered, to prepare for possible accidents. As it was the first day of the meeting, full control was not in place, but barriers were set up in various places and police officers were controlling the meeting.

Local police reported that the area will be completely closed from the 15th, when all the heads of state will gather. A 3m high iron fence was installed surrounding the conference hall. This is to prepare for an emergency.

Tensions are also being felt, with local police paying close attention to protests expected during the APEC summit. Local media reported that in addition to climate change groups and international workers’ rights groups that gathered in front of the venue at every other APEC meeting, Palestinian liberation activists are also expected to protest this time in relation to the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed political group Hamas.

The New York Marathon, which is on the bucket list of marathon enthusiasts around the world, was held in New York City on the morning of the 5th.

The New York Marathon, which starts from Staten Island, an island in the southwest of Manhattan, passes through all five boroughs, including Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, and ends in Central Park, is called the world’s largest marathon festival. Because there are many applicants for the competition, approximately 50,000 participants will be selected through a lottery.

Last year, when various quarantine regulations were abolished after the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) situation ended, 89,000 people participated in the lottery. This year, the number of lottery participants increased further to 125,000.

The New York Marathon, which is held in a festive atmosphere, is characterized by a number of marathon runners running in striking outfits. Running around wearing the headdress of the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of New York, is nothing more than cuteness.

In this year’s race, a group of athletes running wearing traditional Mexican native headdresses was also noticed. New Yorkers also enthusiastically cheered on the players and club members.

Rather than cheering for a specific athlete, quite a few citizens held a general message of encouragement: ‘Run hard.’ However, quite a few New Yorkers were seen holding Israeli flags.

Some citizens even stood on the side of the road holding photos of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian armed group Hamas. Of course, there were citizens who supported Palestine. One marathon participant attracted attention by carrying a Palestinian flag during the competition.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the men’s division with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 59 seconds, and Kenya’s Helen Obiri took the top spot in the women’s division with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 23 seconds.

In relation to the shooting incident that killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, on the 25th, a preliminary warning of danger was issued by the relevant authorities regarding the possibility of a suspect committing a crime, but criticism is being raised that sufficient follow-up action was not taken.

Several months before the tragedy, a colleague reported that he was “concerned that he might suddenly explode and go on a shooting rampage,” and although this fact was shared with the local police, it did not lead to any action to remove the weapon from him.

According to U.S. media reports, including CNN broadcast on the 30th, the U.S. Army announced that the unit of Army Reserve Sergeant Robert Card (40), who was identified as a suspect in the shooting several months before the tragedy, had requested the police to check on Card’s safety.

Sergeant Card’s unit requested a health and welfare check from the police out of concern for his safety, and police in Sagittarius County, Maine, where he lives, responded to the unit’s request.

The reason why the Maine National Guard, to which Card belongs, made this request to the police was because of two previous incidents that raised concerns about Card’s mental health.

According to information shared by the police with the National Guard, Card went to New York for military training on July 15th, and while on his way to a convenience store, an unpleasant incident occurred with other colleagues in the parking lot, and he was taken to a mental hospital and hospitalized for two weeks. There was a fact that he was discharged from the hospital.

Card allegedly started an argument, saying he knew his colleagues were calling him a pedophile. His colleagues said that Card had already started hearing auditory hallucinations of insults to himself in the spring, and that they were getting worse.

After being discharged from a mental hospital, an incident occurred where he punched a friend in the car while visiting a casino with a military colleague.

According to the co-worker’s report, Card said at the time that he had a gun and that he would take it to the Saco Training Base (Maine) and other locations and shoot people.

The co-worker said, “I was concerned that he would suddenly explode and go on a shooting rampage,” and this report was also relayed to the police.

After Card’s threatening remarks, Sacco Base strengthened its security for a while, but Card did not lead to an actual attack on the base.

Sheriff Joel Merry of New Jersey County, who was notified of this information by the military, said in an interview with the New York Times that he shared the relevant information with the Maine State Police in September.

Sagittarius and Kennebec County police visited Card’s home on September 16 at the county’s request but did not meet him.

Police visited and met with Card’s older brother the next day, and his brother told police that he and his father would not allow Card to possess weapons. Police told his brother they could help with Card’s mental health evaluation if needed.

But that was the end. About a month later, on the 26th of last month, Card opened fire at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people. Among the victims was a 14-year-old boy.

According to CNN, Maine has a “yellow flag law” that can be applied to assess the eligibility of individuals to possess weapons. Under this law, law enforcement agencies, such as police, can detain people deemed dangerous and have them evaluated by a medical professional, and depending on the results of the diagnosis, a judge can authorize the temporary removal of weapons from the person.

There was also evidence that Card was already aware that he had a problem with his mental health.

According to the NYT report, on August 5th, about two months before the crime, Card went to a gun shop in Auburn, near Lewiston, to pick up a gun silencer that he had previously ordered but was rejected.

This was because Card wrote ‘yes’ to the question “Have you ever been judged as mentally defective or hospitalized in a mental hospital?” in his reporting documents.

Meanwhile, with the confirmation of Card’s death on the 27th, the stay-at-home order in the Lewiston area was lifted, and residents of Lewiston gathered at churches and other places over the weekend to mourn the victims of the shooting and comfort the victims’ families.

Maine, located at the very tip of the northeastern part of the continental United States, is a region that has been considered one of the places with relatively rare crime across the United States, and Lewiston is also a peaceful city with a population of about 40,000, so residents are said to have been shocked by the news of their acquaintances’ sacrifices.

Citizens of New Yorker will now have easier access to obtain gun licenses.

Judge John P. Cronan of Manhattan Federal Court ruled on the 24th that New York City’s gun control provisions were unconstitutional, meaning that applicants for gun licenses will no longer have to prove their ‘good moral character’ starting from the 27th of this month. do.

In his ruling, Judge Cronan said, “Giving city officials in charge of firearms licenses such vague and unrestricted discretion to make decisions violates both the 2nd and 14th Amendments of the Constitution.”

The lawsuit was filed last year by Joseph Sruer, a Brooklyn resident, claiming he was denied a firearms license due to prior arrests in 2019, a bad driving history, and alleged false statements. According to the court’s ruling today, New York City can appeal until the 26th, before the effective date (27th).

Last year, the number of traffic accident deaths in the Long Island area was found to be the highest in seven years.

According to the Transportation Safety Management Research Institute (ITSMR) at the University of Albany, the number of traffic accident deaths in Nassau and Suffolk counties in 2022 was counted at 243.

This figure is the highest since 2015, when 262 people were recorded.

Looking at the last Long Island traffic deaths by county, 162 occurred in Nassau County and 81 in Suffolk County, and 72, or 30% of all deaths, were pedestrians.

Also, looking at the causes of accidents, speeding accounted for 65 cases, followed by illegal lane changes in 45 cases, inattention while driving in 21 cases, and drunk driving in 21 cases.

Last year, the number of traffic violation tickets issued was 284,237 in Nassau County and 211,670 in Suffolk County, a 22% decrease compared to 2019, when a total of 630,000 tickets were issued.

In response, the New York State Police Department said, “The police department is working to deploy more patrol personnel in areas and time zones where accidents occur frequently,” and added, “We will also cooperate with each county police department to more actively patrol and detect traffic violation vehicles.” He explained.

The sexual assault incident that occurred in a bathroom at Loudoun County High School in Virginia in 2021 attracted attention as a political issue in conjunction with the gubernatorial election at the time. The school authorities’ response to this became a problem, and considerable controversy ensued over issues such as school safety, gender identity, and parental rights. In the end, some say that as this incident came to prominence, it had an impact on the election of Governor Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate at the time.

And on the 4th, the victim’s family filed a $30 million lawsuit against the Loudoun County Office of Education. It is a claim that the school district violated the ‘Title IX’ anti-discrimination law, and ‘Title IX’ states that no one should be discriminated against based on gender, and this includes sexual harassment and sexual violence.

The sexual assault incident occurred twice on May 28 and October 6, 2021, and according to the lawsuit documents, the school at the time did not allow the female victim and her family to talk about the incident, so the perpetrator was not found until three hours after the incident occurred. He pointed out that he couldn’t do it. Jane Doe reported the sexual assault to the school at the time, but she claimed that school officials and the district did not protect her in violation of Title IX. Because her assailant is currently a minor, she is being held in a juvenile treatment facility and is on probation until she turns 18.

According to the plaintiff, the school district did not begin an investigation until five months after the incident occurred and did not provide support services to the victim. It was also pointed out that former Superintendent Scott Ziegler denied at the Board of Education meeting held in June 2021, “There has never been a sexual assault incident in a school bathroom.”

Afterwards, State Attorney General Jason Miyares formed a special grand jury to investigate two sexual assault cases in accordance with the governor’s executive order. A special grand jury issued a report harshly criticizing the school board’s irresponsible response, and the county Board of Education unanimously voted in a closed session to fire Superintendent Scott Ziegler. He was later charged with three misdemeanors.

The plaintiff’s attorney said, “The county office of education is seeking $30 million in damages because it violated Title IX by failing to take appropriate action, failing to protect the victim, and failing to expel the offending student.”

The victim’s father (Jone Doe) was indicted on charges of causing a disturbance at a school board meeting last June but was recently pardoned by the governor. The county office of education says it will not comment on cases where legal issues are ongoing.

The size of job openings at U.S. companies rebounded in August, suggesting that the overheated labor market may not be easily resolved.

According to the Job Recruitment and Turnover Report (JOLTS) released by the Ministry of Labor on the 3rd, the number of job openings in private companies in August was 9.61 million, an increase of 690,000 (7.7%) from the previous month. This figure significantly exceeds the market forecast of 8.8 million compiled by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

 

The number of job openings for private companies has continued to decline this year, and in July reached the lowest level since March 2021.

The rebound in the number of job openings suggests that excess demand in the U.S. labor market may not be easily resolved.

The Federal Reserve System (Fed) believes that overheating the labor market could lead to persistent inflation and is paying close attention to employment-related indicators.

In a speech at the Jackson Hole meeting last August, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said, “If evidence emerges that the easing of labor market overheating is not sustainable, this will also require a response from monetary policy.”

The market is expected to pay attention to whether labor market enthusiasm will continue in key employment-related indicators such as the September employment report to be released on the 6th.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 24th, citing sources, that Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platform (hereinafter referred to as Meta), will unveil an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot targeting young people as early as this week.

Sources said that Meta is internally testing an AI chatbot with a ‘distinct personality’ that can be used across social media (SNS) apps, and that it is scheduled to be unveiled at the ‘Meta Connect Conference’ starting on the 27th at the earliest.

The chatbot is focused on encouraging young users to participate in social media and may also have skills to support other tasks such as coding, the source added. This is because Meta’s AI chatbot has become Meta’s top priority for targeting younger users as TikTok users have overtaken Instagram for several years.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in October 2021, “We will reorganize the team to provide services for younger people rather than older people.”

As large-scale language model (LLM) technology has emerged since the launch of ChatGPT in November last year, Meta has focused on developing generative AI to apply to various apps and metaverse. Accordingly, we expect that the AI chatbot, internally called ‘Generative AI Persona’, will help attract a younger generation while providing users with a more personalized experience.

The source said that Meta is also planning to develop several AI chatbots, including a product that will allow celebrities and creators to communicate with fans and followers through their AI chatbots.

Additionally, according to an internal document obtained by WSJ, Meta is also developing an AI chatbot called ‘Bob the robot’, which is described as ‘possessing exceptional intelligence, sharp wit, and sharp sarcasm.’

When Meta launches its AI chatbot in earnest, it is expected to face fierce competition with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing, and Google Bard, which have previously dominated the market.

In particular, generative AI targeting young people has already been released.

SNS platform Snap launched ‘My AI’ based on ChatGPT for Snapchat users, and Silicon Valley startup Character AI creates chatbots that play specific characters such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Russian President Vladimir Putin.