Latest news with #SPD
News18
2 days ago
- Health
- News18
Celina Jaitley Recalls Rare Pregnancy Condition That Almost Took Her Babies: 'I Was Terrified'
Last Updated: Celina Jaitley shares her battle with cholestasis during twin pregnancies, urging moms-to-be to prioritise maternal health and awareness. Bollywood actress and mother of three, Celina Jaitley, has opened up about a deeply personal and harrowing chapter of her life—the rare liver condition she battled during both of her twin pregnancies. In an emotional Instagram post titled 'When the Itch Could Have Taken My Babies: My Battle With Cholestasis", Celina revealed her struggle with cholestasis of pregnancy, a little-known but potentially life-threatening complication. Celina began her post by explaining that she was born with a rare genetic trait—hyper ovulation—that caused her to conceive twins twice, naturally. The condition, she revealed, has haunted generations of women in her family. 'My mother too had carried twins after my brother and me—babies she tragically lost after a fall in Ranikhet. Even my great-great-grandmother died from complications during a twin pregnancy," she wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Celina Jaitly (@celinajaitlyofficial) The actress went on to describe her pregnancies as overwhelming and physically challenging. She faced gestational diabetes, SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction), and the most alarming of all—cholestasis. 'It starts with itching palms, soles, sleepless nights, and a deep fear for your baby's safety. Cholestasis isn't just a pregnancy itch. It's your liver waving a red flag," Celina explained. Thanks to an early diagnosis by her gynaecologist, she was able to begin treatment in time. She fondly recalled her hepatologist in Dubai—a Jordanian doctor who, in a rare moment of shared faith and science, prayed with her. 'That moment of compassion stayed with me. It reminded me how vital empathy is in healing," she said. Celina used her platform to urge expectant mothers to be vigilant. 'Persistent itching is not something to ignore. Ask for a bile acid test. It could save your child's life," she advised. In 2012, Celina gave birth to twin sons, Winston and Viraaj, in Dubai. Five years later, she was blessed with another set of twin boys. Tragically, one of them passed away due to a congenital heart condition. The surviving twin endured a long and critical stay in the NICU before pulling through. Celina ended her post with a heartfelt message that underscored the importance of maternal health awareness. 'Pregnancy is sacred, but vulnerable. That's why I keep speaking out. Because silence never saved a mother. But awareness just might." Celina Jaitley made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with Janasheen and has starred in popular films like No Entry, Apna Sapna Money Money, and Golmaal Returns. Today, she's using her voice to spotlight maternal health and push for better awareness around lesser-known pregnancy conditions. First Published:
Geek Wire
3 days ago
- Politics
- Geek Wire
Seattle lawmakers approve GPS tracking tech for police pursuits
(GeekWire File Photo) The Seattle City Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to authorize the Seattle Police Department's use of GPS tracking devices designed to reduce dangerous high-speed police chases. The approval of CB 120994 comes amid questions about the technology's effectiveness and concerns about expanding surveillance capabilities. The system, built by Virginia-based StarChase, uses compressed-air launchers mounted on police vehicles to fire battery-powered GPS tracking projectiles onto suspect vehicles during pursuits, theoretically enabling them to monitor the suspect's location remotely. The technology is being funded through a $250,000 state grant that will cover installation on 25 SPD vehicles and a two-year software subscription. Other police departments around Washington state and the U.S. have tested StarChase with varying levels of success. Last year the Oakland Police Department said it would stop using the technology. Privacy advocates, meanwhile, say the technology expands police power and could 'enable warrantless surveillance,' according to a statement from ACLU of Washington, as reported by The Urbanist. ACLU also said it was concerned about sharing of data and people's privacy. The bill describes the system's use as limited to vehicles where 'probable cause or reasonable suspicion of involvement in a crime has been established.' The new law comes as Washington state has significantly loosened restrictions on police pursuits. Lawmakers last year passed Initiative 2113, which allows officers to chase suspects based on 'reasonable suspicion' of any crime, dramatically expanding from previous laws that limited pursuits to serious violent offenses. 'This could be an incredible move forward for our city in terms of public safety, because of the importance of the issue of pursuit,' councilmember Bob Kettle, who sponsored the legislation, said during Tuesday's meeting. Police pursuits have become an increasingly urgent public safety concern nationwide. A San Francisco Chronicle investigation last year found that police chases kill nearly two people a day in the U.S., while 551 bystanders were killed in chases from 2017 to 2022. 'This is about bringing a comprehensive approach to what we're doing,' Kettle said, noting the system would integrate with SPD's new Real Time Crime Center. SPD uses various other technology including automated license plate readers and CCTV cameras. A push from Mayor Bruce Harrell to implement controversial gunshot detection tech didn't move forward last year.
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Senior Citizens Moved Out Of Housing Complex In Germany To Make Way For Refugees
The German city of Bargteheide has scrapped plans to demolish a senior citizens' residential complex on Nelkenweg after vacating all residents, opting instead to house asylum seekers in the building. Former residents had been told the building was uninhabitable and were forced to relocate. However, following an inspection, just five units will undergo renovation, while the remainder will be used as-is by the new arrivals. As reported by Abendblatt, Mayor Gabriele Hettwer defended the decision, saying all cost-related issues had been resolved and that a full renovation was unnecessary. 'The costs for the removal of mold and other renovation measures are manageable,' she said, noting that a preliminary building application would determine whether the entire complex could eventually be used. The move, however, has drawn sharp criticism from members of the SPD parliamentary group, who had supported the original eviction of elderly residents on the grounds that the buildings were unfit for habitation. 'I have seen for myself what a bad condition the buildings are in,' said SPD council member Andreas Bäuerle. His colleague Jörg Rehder added, 'The decision has an unpleasant taste.' 🇩🇪 Senior citizens living in an apartment complex in the German town of Bargteheide were told to leave their homes because the building was to be after they've all moved out, it transpires the building won't be demolished after asylum seekers are… — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 15, 2025 He pointed out that while the city directly financed the relocations of elderly tenants, it now appeared eager to move refugees into the same housing it had deemed unsuitable. CDU council member Sven Meding dismissed the SPD's concerns as political posturing. 'I sometimes wonder if it's election campaign again. Should we accommodate the refugees in tents?' he asked. 'The apartments on Nelkenweg are well habitable.' It would appear that no one on the municipal council had an issue with the fact that the elderly residents were not welcomed to return to their homes following the building's inspection, and it would now hold asylum seekers. Many former residents had expressed their desire to remain in their homes. 'I feel very comfortable here and have lived here for 20 years,' senior citizen Frieda Miller told SHZ previously. 'I'm good here, here I have my home, my flowers, a nice apartment that I can pay for.' 'The apartment is really well designed, everything can be reached from here, and there is also a lot of nature. I would like to stay here,' added fellow resident Dagmar Pardubitzki. Mayor Hettwer stated that the use of the complex is temporary but refused to give a timeframe. She added that the city was deliberately creating more refugee housing than currently needed, to prepare for potential increases in migration. 'The developments are currently declining because the regulations at the borders are stricter,' she said. 'But it is like looking into a crystal ball to estimate the flows of the day after tomorrow.' Although only 40 additional places were technically required, the Nelkenweg complex provides 104. According to the mayor, this allows the city to better absorb any unexpected influxes. Supporters of the plan also point to challenges with other housing providers, who resist open-ended rental agreements and frequently let leases expire to retain flexibility over their properties. In contrast, the Nelkenweg site offers immediate and potential long-term availability. The city council ultimately voted in favor of the measure, with support from the CDU, Greens, and WfB. The SPD cast the only three votes against. Relocation or eviction of elderly tenants to make room for migrants is not new across Germany. In 2023, Remix News reported how a Berlin nursing home had closed its doors to its residents after signing a new contract to accommodate refugees. Similarly, in Lörrach, the city's municipal housing association evicted dozens of long-term residents , many of them senior citizens, to accommodate migrants. When the public protested against the decision, the city's council published a statement claiming that demonstrations were led by right-wing extremists and called for a 'fight against the right.'
Euronews
3 days ago
- Business
- Euronews
Australia and Canada next in line after UK for defence deal with EU
The EU and Australia announced on Wednesday they will start talks for a defence and security pact, with the bloc expected to strike a similar deal with Canada next week, a first step that could eventually allow both NATO allies to take part in the EU's €150 billion programme to boost military production. "I very much welcome the EU's offer for a Security and Defence Partnership and Australia will warmly take it up and commence work immediately," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement released following a meeting on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Canada. "This will open the door to joint defence procurement opportunities and will benefit both our industries and our security," he added. Brussels and Canberra emphasised their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China's military is increasingly active and assertive, and which has become a key pillar of Washington's foreign policy. "In a time of rising tensions and strategic competition, trusted partners must stand together," von der Leyen said in the same statement. "Europe and Australia's enduring friendship enters a new chapter today." The EU and Australia are also currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement but the talks for the SPD will remain separate. A Security and Defence Pact (SPD) - like the one the EU signed with the UK last month - is one of the likely deliverables of the EU-Canada summit to be held on Monday in Brussels between European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Striking an SPD is the first required step for third countries to take part in the EU's €150 billion SAFE programme to boost joint procurement. The instrument, part of the EU's Readiness 2030 plan to strengthen the bloc's defence sector and capabilities, includes a so-called European preference under which some 65% of the weapon systems bought must be made in the EU or by a third-country manufacturer provided they have an SPD with the bloc. A second agreement, allowing for the third country's participation in SAFE, will also be required. SAFE was approved by member states late last month and governments now have a few months to submit to the Commission the joint procurement projects they want to take part in. The EU executive could then start releasing money to fund these projects before the end of the year. France announced on Tuesday that Bulgaria had joined its initiative for joint acquisitions of THALES radar intended to strengthen aerial surveillance. "Other countries have already shown a strong interest in this approach and, with the support of the initial partner countries, are expected to join the cooperation in the near future," the French ministry for the armed forces said. Police officers in England and Wales will be required to collect ethnicity and nationality data in cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation after a review found the issue had been 'shied away' from. The UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that this would become a mandatory requirement as she accepted all 12 recommendations made by Louise Casey in her audit on group-based child sexual abuse on Monday. Casey noted that the term 'group-based child sexual exploitation' sanitised what the victims – some as young as 11 – had suffered, with abused children suffering beatings, gang rapes, being impregnated by their abusers and having children removed from them at birth. The perpetrators targeted girls from vulnerable backgrounds, including children in care, children with physical and mental disabilities, and children who had suffered neglect or abuse. The recommendation to collect targeted information was made after the review found that there was a paucity of data nationally concerning the ethnicity of perpetrators of group-based child sexual abuse – sometimes known as 'grooming gangs' – and their victims. It stated that this meant there was insufficient information to draw conclusions on the national level. However, Casey found that in three local policing areas – Greater Manchester, West and South Yorkshire – there was sufficient evidence to show that there were 'disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation'. This is the case for group-based child sexual exploitation in the local data examined, the review noted, while more broadly across child sexual exploitation cases, the ethnicity profile is much closer to that of the local population. The issue of ethnicity is the most sensitive and controversial aspect of the audit, and Cooper said she had requested that this be the focus of the analysis. 'While much more robust national data is needed, we cannot and must not shy away from these findings, because, as Baroness Casey says, ignoring the issues, not examining and exposing them to the light, allows the criminality and depravity of a minority of men to be used to marginalise whole communities,' Cooper said. 'The vast majority of people in our British, Asian and Pakistani heritage communities continue to be appalled by these terrible crimes and agree that the criminal minority of sick predators and perpetrators in every community must be dealt with robustly by a criminal law.' As well as failing victims, neglecting the possible role of the factor of ethnicity 'plays into the hands of groups with divisive political agendas not to examine or deal with these issues conclusively,' Casey wrote in the review. Perpetrators groomed vulnerable girls with gifts and attention before passing them to other men to rape and using alcohol, drugs and violence to keep them compliant and control them. The audit noted that 'the grooming process is now as likely to start online, and hotspots might have moved from parks to vape shops and the use of hotels with anonymous check-in facilities'. Too often, child victims were blamed for their own abuse and 'criminalised for offences they committed while being groomed,' Casey said. She recommended that the law be tightened to clarify that children cannot consent when they have been raped, so that adults who penetrate a child under 16 (the UK age of consent) receive mandatory charges of rape. While this already is the case for children below 13, she noted that cases are sometimes dropped or charges downgraded if the 13 to 15-year-old is said to have been 'in love with' or 'had consented to' sex with the perpetrator. Among other recommendations, Casey also called for the gathering of ethnicity and nationality data in child sexual abuse cases be made mandatory, and the review of criminal convictions of victims of child sexual exploitation. The scandal from more than a decade ago returned to the political agenda after Elon Musk made a series of social media posts about it in January, wading in after it emerged that the UK safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, rejected a request for a government-led inquiry, instead saying it should be commissioned locally. It is an issue that has been examined before, with a report by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014 estimating that some 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, predominantly by men of Pakistani descent. That report identifies failings by authorities and the police, and also cites local authority officials describing their 'nervousness' at identifying the 'ethnic origins of perpetrators for fear of being thought racist.' Labour initially rejected calls for another inquiry, as successive Conservative governments had implemented none of the recommendations made in the last national inquiry. The government has now bowed to pressure to launch another national inquiry, despite Jay saying in January that victims "want action" rather than another inquiry.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia launches fresh massive aerial attack on Ukraine.
Local Ukrainian media quoted Ukrainian authorities on Sunday morning reporting another massive aerial attack, involving drones, artillery and missiles, among them the hypersonic Khinzal, as well as Iskander and Kalibr cruise missiles. In the southern city of Kherson, one person was killed and another injured, Kherson Oblast administration reported. The main target was the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast. There were no reported casualties but energy and agricultural facilities were hit by debris. Of the nearly 200 weapons, the Ukrainian air force reported 111 drones downed with a further 48 diverted, and two Kinzhal, three Iskander-K and three Kalibr missiles shot down. Germany will mark its first-ever Veterans' Day on 15 June. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said it was about "recognising those who are willing to go the extra mile for others, and who risk life and limb for our country". Getting to this point has taken years, though. "We've been campaigning for this Veterans' Day for nearly 15 years," said Andreas Eggert, Secretary General of the German Veterans' Association, Bund Deutscher EinsatzVeteranen e.V, speaking to Euronews. Germany needed a day that properly acknowledges the service of its veterans. But before that could happen, the association had to reintroduce and redefine the very concept of a veteran. The word itself was long burdened by its associations with the Second World War, added David Hallbauer, the association's Deputy Federal Chairman. The goal, he explains, was to establish a new understanding – that the Bundeswehr had developed its own, modern tradition, from which a distinct veteran identity could emerge. When the Association of German Veterans was founded in 2010, it faced significant opposition. "People dismissed us as outdated," Hallbauer recalled. "We first had to explain that we were talking about individuals who had rendered a special service to Germany through their time in the Bundeswehr." For the Association of German Veterans, it's not just about recognition and appreciation, but also about supporting those who were injured in service. A National Veterans' Day can serve as a platform to highlight these issues and shine a light on the shortcomings that still need to be addressed. This includes mental health support, particularly for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many wait years for help. According to Eggert, the longest known case he's aware of took 13 years before support was granted. "We have a real problem with bureaucracy dragging everything out," Hallbauer explained, adding that for those affected, it feels like a war after the war. "These delays could be avoided by speeding up the decision-making process. If someone has to wait twelve years to be recognised, that's clearly not in anyone's interest," he said. Before a case is approved, authorities must establish a direct link between a deployment and the resulting illness. "You first have to prove that you were even deployed," Hallbauer explained. "As someone who's been injured, you're expected to demonstrate that you were on the ground – and that the experience you had there damaged your health." Eggert adds that in Germany, there's an additional hurdle: the traumatic event itself must meet strict criteria before any therapy or treatment is approved. As part of what's known as the military service compensation process, the extent of an individual's injury is assessed – which then determines any potential pension entitlements. "The process often seems designed more to fend off claims than to support those affected," said Eggert. "That's why all cases are treated in the same rigid manner at first." Personal history, including childhood experiences, is also taken into account – something the Veterans' Association sees as misguided. "Instead of focusing on individual background factors unrelated to trauma, the process should centre on the incident that occurred during deployment and the resulting physical or psychological strain," Eggert concluded. According to him, a shift in the burden of proof would mark real progress. "It shouldn't be up to the injured person to prove that deployment made them ill, the Bundeswehr should have to prove that it didn't. That kind of reversal is exactly what's been missing so far. It appears there's no political will to change that", he told Euronews. "It should be possible for a soldier to go on deployment with peace of mind, knowing that if they're injured, they'll be properly looked after," Hallbauer. This sense of security, he continued, simply doesn't exist in Germany today. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, defence has returned to the political agenda across much of Europe. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) declared a "Zeitenwende" – a turning point, after Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Defence spending has since increased, with the stated aim of making Germany "fit for war" once again. But if a country is to be made fit for defence, the initial focus is naturally on rearmament, said Eggert. "We're facing shortages in both equipment and personnel. That's where a large portion of the money is going. But it would have been good if even just 10 million of the 100-billion-euro special fund had been set aside to properly care for those who are injured, wounded, or fall ill during deployment."
