Author: Lewis Russel

Between January 1 and July 13, 2023, there were 136 days with zero murders, according to official data published by the National Civil Police (PNC) early this morning, while in the entire administration of President Nayib Bukele, the figure amounts to 406 days, of which 298 occurred within the exception regime still in force in the country. The report added that July 17 ended with no deaths due to violence in the whole national territory, being the eighth day with this trend in the month and the third in a row. July maintains the trend of the previous month, which…

With a vibrant purple hue, a meme-able mascot and limited window of availability, McDonald’s had all the ingredients to turn its Grimace milkshake into a viral sensation. What the company likely did not intend was for the shake’s success to come from TikTok users playing dead. Since the debut of the Grimace shake earlier this month, TikTok users have been excitedly ordering the shake, released in honor of McDonald’s character Grimace’s “birthday,” and then pretending to die on camera after consuming the purple beverage. They often dump the shake over their convulsing bodies, apparently signaling that Grimace, that bumbling bestie of Ronald…

WASHINGTON — Leonel Garciga, most recently the top technology officer for U.S. Army intelligence, will be the service’s next civilian chief information officer, C4ISRNET and Army Times have learned. Garciga is expected to take the post in mid-July. He will succeed Raj Iyer, who after nearly three years as CIO rejoined private industry, according to an internal announcement. The position has been vacant for months now. An Army spokesperson on June 26 said Garciga “will spearhead the Army’s technological transformation efforts, ensuring the effective management and utilization of information systems across the organization.” “Having led the Army Intelligence Community CIO for…

The Summer Concert Series is underway at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.  The Summer Concert Series is a treasure for Front Range audiences. The Arvada Center books a mix of local cultural favorites and national acts to the Outdoor Amphitheatre stage, providing a magical evening of entertainment under the stars. The season kicked off with the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus performing on June, 3, 2023. In addition to the Chorus, the Colorado Symphony take the stage a couple of times, The Denver Brass will play, as well as Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra. “We’re so happy to have…

Young people challenging Montana officials over inaction on climate change are expected back in state court on Tuesday in a first-of-a kind trial of a lawsuit that environmentalists hope will spur changes in the fossil fuel-friendly state. State officials have sought to downplay Montana’s contributions to global warming as the trial that opened Monday is being closely watched for possible legal precedents even though the scope of the lawsuit has been narrowed in earlier rulings. The trial is scheduled to last two weeks with 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys seeking to persuade District Judge Kathy Seeley that the state’s allegiance to fossil…

A growing number of prominent Republicans are rallying around the idea that to solve the fentanyl crisis, America must bomb it away. In recent weeks, Donald Trump has discussed sending “special forces” and using “cyber warfare” to target cartel leaders if he’s reelected president and, per Rolling Stone, asked for “battle plans” to strike Mexico. Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) introduced a bill seeking authorization for the use of military force to “put us at war with the cartels.” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he is open to sending U.S. troops into Mexico to target drug lords even without that…

However, Pillar II of the AUKUS—which promises cooperation on AI, hypersonics, quantum computing and other advanced technologies—could significantly strengthen the U.S. position in the Asia Pacific. As the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia determine a path forward for Australia to acquire the nuclear-powered submarines promised by the Australia-United Kingdom-United States trilateral security pact (AUKUS), the agreement has faced domestic criticism in member states and external criticism from both China and Russia, which have condemned it as a threat to international stability. In the United States, lawmakers have argued that AUKUS is coming at a direct and unwise cost to U.S. security, worried that the undue burden resulting…

WITH President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. opening up nine bases of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to American forces gearing up for possible war with China over Taiwan, the world’s three major regions — Europe, North America and Asia — are now divided into two fiercely armed blocs. On one side is the West, including the United States-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), plus US allies Japan and Australia. On the other is the “East,” as China, Russia and their allies, like Belarus and North Korea, are sometimes labeled. Just over a month ago, it seemed that Asia might…

This is part 3 of a 4-part special report on the trilateral agreement known as AUKUS — Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The defense pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, known as AUKUS, aims to accelerate development of hypersonic capabilities, a weapon system experts say will be crucial in the event of conflict in the Indo-Pacific.The AUKUS trilateral agreement is meant to make development of a number of key advanced capabilities easier through technology sharing and collaboration. Since signing the deal in September 2021, the three countries have been conducting an 18-month study…

The saga of the giant Chinese balloon—downed by a U.S. F-22 fighter jet over the Atlantic near Myrtle Beach, S.C, on Feb. 4—continues to bob and weave. Washington insists it was a nefarious spying vessel, part of a fleet conducting covert surveillance operations over five continents and several years; Beijing maintains it was an innocent meteorology device blown off-course. On Tuesday, the U.S. announced that “significant debris” had been recovered from the craft, including “all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces,” which are now being examined by the FBI. In recent days, three more unidentified flying objects have been…