Bihar Minister Facing Kidnapping Charges Resigns, Says ‘Party’s Image Tarnished Because of Me’

Amid protests by the Opposition parties, Bihar minister Kartik Kumar, who is allegedly involved in a 2014 kidnapping case, on Wednesday resigned from his ministerial post. This came hours after the Nitish Kumar government removed Kartik Kumar as the law minister and allotted him the low-profile sugarcane department. CM Nitish Kumar has accepted Kartik’s resignation and further sent it to Governor Phagu Chauhan. “I have resigned. I was fed up of everyday debates on TV. BJP had too many problems with me so I had decided that once I get clean chit then only I will take any responsibility in the government. For me, the party is top priority, will work for the party and will answer those who are criticising me. Media is reporting one sided news. And this led to negative portrayal for my image. So it is my duty to clear all confusions and then only I will see what to do,” the RJD leader told CNN-News18. “Tejashwi never opposed my ministership otherwise I wouldn’t have become a minister. Because of me, the party’s image is tarnished and some are campaigning against me so I resigned,” he added. Meanwhile, Bihar Revenue Minister Alok Kumar Mehta has been given additional charge for the Sugarcane Industry Ministry. Reacting to Kartik Kumar’s resignation, BJP leader Sushil Modi said in a tweet, “The first wicket has just fallen. Many more wickets will fall now.”
“Nitish Kumar got clean bowled in the first over itself. Now Karthik Kumar’s first wicket has fallen. Many more wickets will fall now, ” he added.

नीतीश कुमार पहले ओवर में ही क्लीन बोल्ड हो गए ।अभी तो कार्तिक कुमार का पहला विकेट गिरा है ।अभी और कई विकेट गिरेंगे।@aajtak @ANI @ZeeBiharNews @ABPNews @News18Bihar @PTI_News

— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) August 31, 2022

BJP’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya said Kartik Kumar seems to have more self respect than Nitish Kumar.

Kartikeya Singh seems to have more self respect than Nitish Kumar. — Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 31, 2022

Kartik Kumar is expected to appear in court on Thursday in a kidnapping case with his interim protection from court against any coercive action ending on September 1. ALSO READ:  Winning the Perception Battle? Nitish Kumar Removes Bihar Law Minister Under Scanner in Kidnapping Case Kartik, who is close to RJD’s Bahubali leader Anant Singh, is facing the charge of kidnapping in Patna district and a case was registered at the Bihta police station in 2014. The warrant was issued in the first week of August. As per the allegations against him, he was involved in the kidnapping of a person named Rajiv Ranjan in 2014 and an FIR was lodged at the Bihta police station. The victim had given a statement under CrPC of 164 in the court where he had mentioned the name of the RJD leader. Moreover, he is also facing other criminal charges in Mokama railway police station and other police stations of Patna and adjoining districts. The BJP has been attacking the new government since Kumar was sworn in as the law minister. Kumar did not attend a court hearing on August 16 in the case when he took oath as the minister.

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Washington Post reportedly facing financial struggles, 'on a pace to lose money this year'

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The Washington Post is reportedly "on pace to lose money this year" after years of profitability during the Trump era. 

Following the constant news cycle during the Trump presidency, business at the "Democracy Dies in Darkness" paper's business has stalled so much so that their "5 by 25" initiative to reach five million digital subscribers by 2025 may be out of reach, sources told The New York Times.  "The organization is on track to lose money in 2022, after years of profitability, according to two people with knowledge of the company’s finances," the Times wrote Tuesday. "The Post now has fewer than the three million paying digital subscribers it had hailed internally near the end of 2020, according to several people at the organization. Digital ad revenue generated by The Post fell to roughly $70 million during the first half of the year, about 15 percent lower than in the first half of 2021, according to an internal financial document reviewed by The New York Times." Sources allege to the Times that Washington Post CEO and publisher Fred Ryan, who was hired by the paper's owner Jeff Bezos, "floated… the possibility of cutting 100 positions" in the newsroom, potentially in the form of "hiring freezes."  WASHINGTON POST'S DAVE WEIGEL LEAVING PAPER THIS YEAR FOR DIGITAL MEDIA START-UP SEMAFOR

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 15 : Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan speaks during a 2019 Pulitzer Prize announcement ceremony in the newsroom at the Washington Post office on Monday, April 15, 2019 in Washington, DC.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Post told the Times that the paper not only is not reducing head count but may expand the newsroom and "exploring positions that should be repurposed to serve a larger, national and global audience." According to the Times, the spokesperson "said the document showing ad revenue declines depicted an incomplete picture of The Post’s business, but she declined to detail how." THE WASHINGTON POST'S WEEK FROM HELL The Times alleged the financial downturn has fueled "frustration internally" with top executives "concerned" that Ryan "hasn’t moved decisively enough to expand coverage" and that under his leadership, marketing efforts were being halted. "Mr. Ryan’s focus on productivity and office attendance in the newsroom has also been a source of tension. He has expressed his belief to members of his leadership team that there were numerous low performers in the newsroom who needed to be managed out," the Times wrote. "He has monitored how many staff members come into the office, and has weighed new measures to compel people to return to work, including threats of firings, several people at The Post said."

Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan speaks during a book discussion with former Iranian prisoner Jason Rezaian at the Washington Post headquarters, on January 23, 2019 in Washington, DC.  (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Ryan has reportedly "expressed annoyance" with Post leaders about the apparent lack of productivity, noticing how fewer meetings took place on Fridays as one measurement. The publisher "has also grown increasingly frustrated" that Post staffers have not been working from the office at least three days per week, a policy rolled out by the paper earlier this year following the pandemic.  "In recent weeks, Mr. Ryan asked for disciplinary letters to be drafted and sent to employees who had not made any appearance in the office this year, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions," the Times wrote. "He ultimately decided that the letters should not be sent, and that the people should be called instead. The Post spokeswoman said Mr. Ryan welcomed employee input on the return-to-office policy." WASHINGTON POST BOSS DENOUNCES ‘ATTACKING COLLEAGUES’ IN MEMO TO STAFF AS WARFARE ON TWITTER ENSUES Some employees, according to the Times, have pushed back against Ryan, stressing about the "grave concerns" about the return-to-work policy in a letter sent to him, writing "Such decisions are extremely personal and consequential… and we urge management to allow employees to make these decisions without fear of punishment from their employer."

A Washington Post piece, "DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw makes sure reporters feel the burn," focuses on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary, Christina Pushaw.  (ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Executives at The Post have mulled over buying other news organizations including "The Associated Press, The Economist and The Guardian," sources told The Times, and that Ryan has prioritized the paper’s ability to "covering new areas rather than acquiring rivals." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The report also claims that Bezos has been more hands-off in recent years, going from having a "regular presence" at the Post before the pandemic to rolling back from what used to be his ever-other-week Zoom calls, which became "less frequent" but that he's "still engaged, however, weighing in during budgeting season and participating in calls." The Post spokesperson told the Times it is "absolutely false" to suggest Bezos is less interested in the paper. 

A spokesperson for the Post declined to further comment. 

Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.

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Russia facing problems with Iran-made drones

Ukraine President Zelenskyy warns Russians “should know: we will drive them to the border. To our border, the line of which has not changed,” as war rolls into 188th day.

The Biden administration released satellite imagery (not pictured) indicating that Russian officials visited Kashan Airfield on June 8 and July 5 to view the Iranian drones. (Iranian Army via AP / AP)

Tuesday, August 30, 2022 US: Russia facing technical problems with Iran drones Russia has faced technical problems with Iranian-made drones acquired from Tehran this month for use in its war with Ukraine, according to Biden administration officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the US intelligence assessment, did not detail the “numerous failures." They added that the US assesses that the delivery of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles over several days this month is likely part of a Russian plan to acquire hundreds of Iranian UAVs. The Associated Press reported last week that Russia had recently obtained hundreds of Iranian drones capable of being used in its war against Ukraine despite US warnings to Tehran not to ship them.  The Biden administration last month released satellite imagery indicating that Russian officials visited Kashan Airfield on June 8 and July 5 to view the Iranian drones. Russia struggling to recruit soldiers: Pentagon Russia is struggling to find more soldiers to fight in Ukraine, even tapping prisons. A senior US defence official said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree last Thursday was to increase the headcount of the country's army by about 10 percent to 1.15 million servicemen, starting January next year. The Pentagon believes that "this effort is unlikely to succeed, as Russia has historically not met personnel and strength targets," the official said. "Russia has already begun trying to expand recruitment efforts," the official told journalists on the basis of anonymity. "They've done this in part by eliminating the upper age limit for new recruits. Many of these new recruits have been observed as older, unfit and ill-trained," the official said. IAEA team heads to nuclear plant International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said he was en route to inspect Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The UN's nuclear watchdog has for months been asking to visit the site, warning of "the very real risk of a nuclear disaster". Writing on Twitter, Grossi on Monday said an IAEA support and assistance mission was "now on its way" with the team due to arrive "later this week". Ukraine troops breach Russian defences near Kherson Ukrainian troops mounting a counter-offensive have broken through Russian defences in several sectors of the front line near the city of Kherson, a senior advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a video interview on Youtube, Oleksiy Arestovych also said Ukrainian forces were shelling the ferries that Moscow is using to supply a pocket of Russian-occupied territory on the west bank of the Dnipro river in the Kherson region.  "This is what we have been waiting for since the spring – it is the beginning of the de-occupation of Kherson region," local government official Sergey Khlan told Ukraine's Pryamyi TV channel. For live updates from Monday (August 29), click here Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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LAWRENCE JONES: America's children are facing 'unprecedented challenges' as new school year begins

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Fox News host Lawrence Jones broke down the challenges facing America's education system on "Cross Country."

LAWRENCE JONES: We're taking a hard look at the state of our education in this nation. The students in our lives are facing unprecedented challenges as this school year begins.  EX-FAIRFAX COUNTY TEACHER ON GENDER TRANSITION TRAINING: "PARENTS RIGHT ARE BEING OBSTRUCTED LEFT AND RIGHT"

School districts are offering incentives and pay raises to get more teachers into the classroom before August.    (FNC)

We see the consequences of the pandemic in the form of massive learning lapses. We have a youth mental health crisis now deemed a national emergency, but COVID emergency funds approved for education back in 2021 are still sitting unspent. Not to mention, we're in the midst of a nationwide teacher shortage. We know the struggles, but what about the solution? CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

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Europe facing its worst drought in 500 years: EU agency

The August report of the European Drought Observatory said 47 percent of Europe is under warning conditions, with clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17 percent in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected.

Water scarcity in Europe is affecting lives and businesses across the continent. (Reuters)

Europe is facing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping, electricity production and the yields of certain crops, a European Union agency has said. The August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO), overseen by the European Commission, said on Tuesday 47 percent of Europe is under warning conditions, with clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17 percent in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected. "The severe drought affecting many regions of Europe since the beginning of the year has been further expanding and worsening as of early August," the report said, adding that the western Europe-Mediterranean region was likely to experience warmer and drier than normal conditions until November. Much of Europe has faced weeks of baking temperatures this summer, which worsened the drought, caused wildfires, set off health warnings, and prompted calls for more action to tackle climate change. READ MORE: Europe broils as heatwave shatters temperature records The current drought appeared to be the worst in at least 500 years, assuming final data at the end of the season confirmed the preliminary assessment, the Commission said in a statement. Summer crops have suffered, with 2022 yields for grain maize set to be 16 percent below the average of the previous five years and soybean and sunflowers yields set to fall by 15 percent and 12 percent respectively. Hydropower generation has been hit, with further impact on other power producers due to a shortage of water to feed cooling systems. Low water levels have hampered inland shipping, such as along the Rhine, with reduced shipping loads affecting coal and oil transport. The EDO said mid-August rainfall may have alleviated conditions, but in some cases it had come with thunderstorms that caused further damage. The observatory's drought indicator is derived from measurements of precipitation, soil moisture and the fraction of solar radiation absorbed by plants for photosynthesis. READ MORE: Europe suffers record wildfire destruction this year: Data Source: Reuters

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Brittney Griner is facing a 9-year sentence in a Russian jail following conviction. Here's what could come next for the WNBA star

Now, Griner has returned to the detention center where she was held during her weeks-long trial as her lawyers vow to appeal the sentence and the Biden administration attempts to negotiate for her release.

During the trial, Griner pleaded guilty to carrying less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in her luggage as she traveled through a Moscow airport on February 17. She testified in court that she was aware of Russia's strict drug laws and had no intention of bringing cannabis into the country, saying she was in a rush and "stress packing."

Her lawyers had hoped that Griner's guilty plea and statements of remorse would result in a more lenient sentence. She faced 10 years for the charges and prosecutors requested she be sentenced to 9.5 years in jail. In addition to her nine-year sentence, Griner must pay a fine of 1 million rubles, which is roughly $16,400.

"I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here," Griner said in court prior to the verdict. "I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom."

The US State Department has classified Griner as wrongfully detained. The Biden administration has offered to trade a convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan, CNN has previously reported. Russia's foreign minister reportedly indicated to journalists Friday that Moscow was ready to discuss the topic.

After the verdict, Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, tweeted, "Today's sentencing of Brittney Griner was severe by Russian legal standards and goes to prove what we have known all along, that Brittney is being used as a political pawn."

In a statement, President Joe Biden said the sentence was "unacceptable" and demanded that she be returned to the US to be reunited with her family.

Here's what comes next for Griner as she awaits her lawyers' appeal and the US continues to negotiate for her release.

Lawyers will appeal 'unreasonable' verdict

Griner's legal team will file an appeal to the court's decision, which they must do within 10 days of the verdict, according to her lawyers, Alexander Boykov and Maria Blagovolina, who is a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law firm.

"We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality. The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea," they said in a statement.

They called the verdict "absolutely unreasonable" and insisted in the statement that the decision "contradicts the existing legal practice" in Russia.

Blagovolina told reporters that the average time in jail for this type of crime is five years, adding that almost a third of those convicted get parole.

During the trial, the lawyers argued that Griner's detention was handled improperly. Griner testified that she was made to sign documents that she did not fully understand and was not given adequate translations of the Russian-language paperwork.

A defense expert also testified that the examination of the vape cartridges containing the cannabis oil did not comply with Russian law.

US has proposed prisoner swap for Griner's return

Last week, CNN reported that the Biden administration has proposed a prisoner swap, offering to exchange a convicted Russian arms trafficker for Griner and Whelan. Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine, was handed a 16-year prison sentence in 2018 on espionage charges after a trial the US deemed unfair.

After Griner's sentence, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said that it was "up to the Russian side" on whether the conviction will open the door for prisoner-swap negotiations.

After the US proposed a prisoner swap, Russia countered by requesting that convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov also be released, multiple sources familiar with the discussions have told CNN. The US has not considered the counter as a legitimate proposal, in part because the request was made through an informal backchannel.

Kirby reiterated Thursday that the US's position remains that it wants Russia to "take the deal on the table because it's a good one, it's a fair one, and it'll help bring Paul (Whelan) and Brittney home."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists at a news conference Friday that officials "are ready to discuss" the prisoners being held by both countries, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

"There is a specified channel that has been agreed upon by the presidents, and no matter what anyone says publicly, this channel will remain in effect," Lavrov said, according to RIA Novosti.

While US officials have long opposed prisoner trades, the successful release of Trevor Reed, an American and former Marine who was imprisoned in Russia, garnered bipartisan praise from lawmakers and was considered a political win for the Biden administration.

Family and supporters continue to fight for her return

The swap proposal follows months of pressure from Griner's family and members of the basketball community.

The star's wife, Cherelle Griner, has been outspoken about her desire for US officials to take more substantial action to bring her wife home. Days after Cherelle Griner expressed frustrations in an interview with CNN, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held a call with her to reassure her they were committed to securing her wife's release, according to a White House call readout.

Griner has also had the steady support of her WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, as well as other members of the basketball community.

Before the start of a game Thursday night between the Mercury and Connecticut Sun, members of both teams linked arms in the center of the court and held a 42-second moment of silence for Griner, who wears 42 on her jersey. After it ended, people in the crowd started chanting, "Bring her home! Bring her home!"

CNN's Allie Malloy, Chris Liakos, Natasha Bertrand, Frederik Pleitgen, Eric Levenson, Dakin Andone, Travis Caldwell, Jill Martin, Betsy Klein, Kate Sullivan and MJ Lee contributed to this report.

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World facing true climate emergency, says climate activist

ANKARA 

Extreme weather events like the deadly wildfires and flood-causing rains simultaneously gripping the world are signs of a looming climate emergency, according to a young environmentalist.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Indian climate activist Licypriya Kangujam warned of the increasing frequency and intensity of climate change-linked weather events and called on world leaders to take concrete steps on the matter.

"We want clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a clean planet to live (on), so these all are basic rights for all of us," she said.

Defining the reduction of carbon emissions as "the biggest challenge" at the moment, Kangujam said another urgent issue was biodiversity loss related to climate change and that both must be tackled together as "many biodiversity hotspots become climate hotspots."

Pointing to the wildfires, droughts, floods, food shortages, cyclones, heat waves, and air pollution that are currently impacting different parts of the world, she underlined the need for "equal attention and climate justice."

"This is true climate emergency ... These are all the impacts of climate change and our world leaders need to act now as soon as possible" for vows on paper to become action to "save our planet and our future," said the 10-year-old activist who was also a leader of The Child Movement, a climate and child rights group.

While the world must shift to renewable energy to achieve a low-carbon future, she stressed, global events continue to make achieving this goal harder.

"Considering natural gas and nuclear as clean energy is unacceptable at any cost. We want to have clear transition to clean energy," Licypriya underlined, referring to the European Parliament's decision last month backing EU rules labeling investments in gas and nuclear power plants as climate-friendly.

On the move, she said Europe had taken the war in Ukraine as "an excuse" to increase their reliance on fossil fuels, rather than expand the capacity of renewable energy sources.

Simply more 'greenwashing'

The ongoing energy crisis is proof that Europe is fully dependent on fossil fuels and will not quit them easily in the next few decades despite ambitious plans under the Paris climate agreement, Licypriya stated.

Signed on Dec. 12, 2015, the accord sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous levels of climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5C. To achieve this, the Paris deal focuses on lowering greenhouse gas emissions through a system of pledge and review.

The EU wants to encourage private investment in natural gas and nuclear, making it "very difficult" to make the transition from fossil fuels, particularly coal, to clean energy, warned Licypriya, arguing that this amounted to simply another case of "greenwashing."

In response to a question on the main focus of an upcoming global climate strike on Sept. 23, the Indian activist pointed to the climate crisis of the global south.

"We will draw the attention to our world leaders and also to the global media to stop neglecting the voice of the global south when we suffer the most. We want a concrete climate solution now," she added.

On how climate activism has developed in recent times, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, Licypriya highlighted that online climate activism had gained huge momentum during the lockdowns all over the world.

"In street demonstrations, we need physical presence which is difficult for everyone. Now, the participation in climate activism is in huge increase all over the world after the pandemic."

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