Author: Olive Metuge

This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief Weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues. Reporting Highlights Going Private: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has increasingly hired private law firms to argue cases for the state. Connections to Attorneys: Paxton often has personal or political ties to these outside attorneys. One defended him in his impeachment trial. Another donated to his campaign for office. Different States: He’s inked these lucrative contracts more often than his counterparts in other…

Ethar ShalabyBBC News ArabicFamily handoutAbdullah Jendeia had been searching for food when he was killedA teenager who went looking for food and a man who endured months of malnutrition are among those who have died in Gaza in the past week.On Thursday, the Hamas-run health ministry recorded two new deaths due to malnutrition in the past 24 hours, as aid agencies warned Israel’s siege of Gaza was causing “mass starvation” to spread across the territory. An Israeli government spokesman denied this, saying Hamas was to blame for creating a food shortage and hijacking aid.With the UN warning that humanitarian conditions…

One of the cases the Supreme Court will hear during the 2025-26 term started with a haircut. Damon Landor’s head was forcibly shaved in 2020 after he arrived at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, part of the Louisiana prison system. Landor had shared legal documents showing that Rastafarian prisoners growing their hair for religious reasons had to be allowed to keep their dreadlocks, but a guard threw the papers in the trash and called the warden, who ordered the guards to proceed with the cut. Louisiana officials now agree with Landor that the haircut shouldn’t have happened. But they dispute his…

Image from Shutterstock. What is agentic artificial intelligence? According to IBM, it refers to “AI systems that are designed to autonomously make decisions and act, with the ability to pursue complex goals with limited supervision.” That definitely sounds like it could be really exciting. Or really scary. Or maybe both.For lawyers, AI agents could completely change the way that they do their jobs, handling things such as legal research, document creation and managing workflows with little human supervision. But if we’ve learned anything since the dawn of the generative AI revolution, the potential benefits of agentic AI come with risks…

A helipad, sky-high design, and prime location, here’s what to expect from the new Mandarin Oriental Downtown, DubaiLuxury is reaching new heights in the heart of the city. Mandarin Oriental has confirmed its second Dubai property, this time setting up in the vibrant Downtown district. Set within the architecturally striking Wasl Tower, the new hotel is already turning heads thanks to what will be the tallest ceramic façade in the region.The new Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai will feature 259 elegant rooms and suites, plus 224 branded residences for those looking to live the luxe life full-time. As you’d expect from…

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Verite News. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. Louisiana passed a new police accountability law following allegations of civil rights violations against a sheriff’s deputy caught on video dragging a Black woman by her hair and slamming her head into the ground. The woman, Shantel Arnold, sued the deputy and the sheriff, accusing the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office of conspiring to cover up the 2021 assault. The Sheriff’s Office agreed in March to pay Arnold $300,000 after three…

Watch: People take shelter after gunfire breaks out between Thailand and Cambodia troopsTroops from Thailand and Cambodia have clashed at a disputed portion of their border early on Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of firing the first shot.The Thai military said Cambodian soldiers opened fire near the Khmer temple Ta Muen Thom, where tensions have run high in recent weeks.Cambodia’s defence ministry however said its soldiers were responding in self-defence after Thai troops fired the first shots.Cambodia had sent a surveillance drone into the area before deploying heavily armed troops, the Thai military said, adding that at least…

A tech industry group came to the Supreme Court this week, asking the justices to temporarily block Mississippi from enforcing restrictions on minors’ access to social media against several major social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and YouTube. The group, NetChoice, told the justices that if the state is allowed to enforce the restrictions, some users of social-media websites will face an “immediate loss of First Amendment rights,” while the websites will suffer “enormous, ‘nonrecoverable’ compliance costs” – which for “at least one member” could exceed its overall budget. Mississippi passed the law, known as House Bill…

Home Daily News Florida lawyer suspended after conviction… Lawyer Discipline Florida lawyer suspended after conviction for embezzlement while a paralegal By Debra Cassens Weiss July 16, 2025, 10:42 am CDT A Florida lawyer has been suspended following her conviction for embezzling from a law firm where she once worked as a a paralegal. The Florida Supreme Court suspended lawyer Amaris Marie Delapena in a July 9 decision, Law360 reports. Jurors convicted Delapena of 15 counts of wire fraud and 22 counts of bank fraud in a June retrial. U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron of the Middle District of Florida…

The Ministry of Education outlines key term dates and holidays for the upcoming school yearMark your calendars, here’s when UAE schools open, close, and break for the holidays.If you’re a parent, teacher, or student in the UAE, it’s time to start planning ahead. The UAE’s Ministry of Education has officially announced the academic calendar for the 2025-2026 school year, including term dates and holidays across both public and private schools that follow the ministry’s curriculum.According to the announcement, students will return to school on Monday, August 25, 2025, after a long summer break. Teaching staff and administrators will resume a…