More than 50 people have been charged in connection with an international drug trafficking ring targeting Alaska communities‚ according to an announcement from federal authorities Thursday and nine criminal indictments over the past seven months. The defendants conspired to bring fentanyl‚ cocaine‚ heroin and methamphetamine from Mexico into the state between February 2022 and July 2023‚ U.S. Attorney for Alaska S. Lane Tucker said. Court records show some members of the drug ring were inmates...

The Biden administration is pausing‚ temporarily at least‚ additional funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) after employees of the entity created to help "Palestine refugees" were fired for participating in Hamas terrorists' October 7 massacre that killed the most Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. In a statement on Friday‚ State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said the U.S. "is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been...

The International Court of Justice stopped short of ordering a ceasefire and did not charge Israel with genocide in a ruling Friday on charges brought by South Africa in The Hague concerning Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza‚ but supporters of Israel reacted with "utter dismay" at the decision and called it "an absurdity." After the ruling‚ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is committed to international law as well as Israel’s own right to defend itself...

The world watched closely as a panel of 17 judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—the highest court of the United Nations—heard arguments earlier this month over whether Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza‚ in a case brought forward by South Africa. Today‚ in a landmark interim order‚ the court determined that South Africa has legal standing and ordered Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent acts of...

The World Court on Friday ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip‚ but it stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire. Ruling on a case brought by South Africa‚ the court said Israel must ensure its forces did not commit genocide and take measures to improve the humanitarian situation for Palestinian civilians in the enclave. In the ruling‚ 15 of the 17 judges on the International Court of Justice (ICJ)...

Spanish skydiving expert Eric Finat Trepat recorded a video of his 43rd attempt at skydiving‚ which was incredibly beautiful‚ frightening‚ and dangerous all at the same time. What’s incredible about the dive is not only its height of 15‚000 feet but that he had to navigate through a rain cloud before making it safely to the ground.Finat Trepat accomplished his miraculous jump above the Catalonian city of Girona in Spain.A lot can go wrong when you’re free-falling through a raincloud. There is very little visibility‚ so it can be hard to tell which way you’re falling. It’s also dangerous flying through raindrops at high speed. Finally‚ it’s difficult to know how much distance there is between yourself and the ground when shooting out of the cloud‚ which makes it tough to judge when to deploy the parachute.In the video‚ Finat Trepat checks his altimeter multiple times to see how much time and space he has before hurtling to the ground. — (@) Even though this video probably made many happy that they were watching it from the ground. The daredevil hopes it will inspire others to hurl themselves from a plane.“PS: To all of you who have asked me‚ don’t be afraid to take the step‚ it’s within your reach‚ you just have to open the door‚ jump and enjoy‚” Finat Trepat wrote‚ according to The New York Post. “I haven’t taken away the urge to jump despite the fear of the other day‚ being on the edge of death has only made me stronger.”

The expectation to put on an air of happy‚ fun‚ pleasant nonconfrontation through baring teeth‚ otherwise known as smiling‚ is something many‚ if not most‚ women know very well. What’s more‚ this pressure is often introduced to women at a very early age.And obviously‚ while there’s nothing inherently wrong with naturally being a happy‚ smiling person‚ issues arise when kids are taught that being themselves‚ just as they are‚ isn’t acceptable. That’s why people are so impressed with North Carolina-based photographer Brooke Light’s (@bdlighted on TikTok) hands-off approach when it comes to taking pictures of young girls. Her philosophy is simple‚ but oh so poignant: Allow girls to show up‚ take up space‚ and perhaps most importantly‚ not smile if they don’t want to. Light posted a video showing some of her recent portraits‚ and truly‚ the work speaks for itself. Each of the girls’ distinct‚ unique personalities shine in these black-and-white images. Plus the lighting is moody and artsy and cool as hell. So much better than a forced‚ cheesy‚ smiling pic. Take a look: @bdlighted never underestimate the power of a photoshoot for your kids confidence #moodymini #kidsphotographer #childrensphotography #portraitphotographer #confidenceboost #kidsconfidence #familyphotoshootideas #familyphotoshoots #studiophotography #blackandwhitephoto #girlpower #girlempowerment #donttellmetosmile #momsofgirls #girlmom #greenscreen ♬ Little Girl Gone - CHINCHILLA Comments began flooding in commending Light for how she authentically portrayed the girls as individuals‚ rather than producing cookie-cutter images of them.“I love how they are not trying to be anything ‘extra’ just their own raw and savage selves‚” one person wrote. Another added‚ “I can feel their power through my phone.” Light redirected the praise toward her clients‚ saying‚ “They are even more amazing in person! Like that vibe you feel is ALL THEM. I’m just there capturing it.”For many women who had their own memories of being told to smile for photos‚ seeing the images had a profound effect. “CHILLS! This healed something in me. Thank you.” one person commented. “The Sears family photo trauma was REAL” wrote another.And for the record‚ Light doesn’t make boys smile either. Here’s the proof in her follow-up video: @bdlighted these mom's got me blushing in my DMs 🫣📸 I've never had my creativity or my photography validated so much in my life. thank you for the outpouring of love on these photos this week. it's meant more than you can ever know. #boymom #boymoms #moodymini #familyphotoshoots #familyphotoshootideas #portraitphotographer #studiophotography #kidsphotographer #kidsconfidence #childrensphotography #greenscreen ♬ Area Codes - Kali In the post‚ Light shared how touched she was by the overwhelmingly positive response.“I’ve never had my creativity or my photography validated so much in my life. Thank you for the outpouring of love on these photos this week. It’s meant more than you can ever know‚” she wrote. Imagine that…celebrating others for their authentic selves‚ then being celebrated yourself. Now that’s something worth smiling for. This article originally appeared on 6.2.23

Kids‚ man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed‚ but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know‚ the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks‚ then you're not the default parental unit. One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok‚ where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret‚ they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.Back when we were children‚ this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark‚ but for Marchese's kids‚ who are 3 and 6 years old‚ it's as good as a phone call. You may be questioning why this mom left her two young children home alone. She didn't. Their father was home‚ likely wondering why the children were playing so quietly. But. He. Was. Right. There. And the kids still bypassed him to talk to their mom through the Ring doorbell camera. It was pressing business‚ after all. "My tablet is dead‚" the 3-year-old said.The kids ignored Marchese's questions about where their dad was and continued to complain about their tablets. The entire situation is enough to make any default parent chuckle and maybe sob a little. Watch the urgent doorbell call below: @tinyann22 Moms can never get a minute of peace lol #momsoftiktok #momlife #ring #camera #kidsoftiktok And if you're skeptical that dad was within shouting distance‚ the mom of two uploaded a part two where dad comes into the frame. @tinyann22 Replying to @iustmerlp part 2… daddy was found! Lol #kidsoftiktok #momsoftiktok #parentsoftiktok #fyp #ring #prioritiesfirst This article originally appeared on 3.22.23

Not measuring up to their true power. The post The artist Roger Daltrey thought sounded “mediocre” live first appeared on Far Out Magazine.