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Hindu monk and minority leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari has been arrested in Dhaka, sparking concerns among the Hindu community in Bangladesh. The detention comes amidst ongoing tensions over minority rights and rising political violence following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Arrest Follows Minority Rights Protests in Rangpur The arrest follows protests by the Hindu community in Rangpur, approximately 300 km from Dhaka, demanding stronger legal protections and the creation of a dedicated ministry for minority affairs. “I just received the shocking news that Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a Hindu monk & the face and leader of Bangladeshi minorities in these difficult times, has been arrested by the Dhaka police and taken to an undisclosed location. Kind attention,” wrote Radharamn Das, an ISKCON spokesperson, tagging Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Sedition Case Linked to Outspoken Advocacy Bangladeshi authorities have not released an official statement, but reports indicate Brahmachari was detained at Dhaka airport earlier this week. His arrest is believed to be linked to a sedition case filed earlier this month over his vocal stance against violence targeting Hindus. Escalation of Violence Against Minorities Hindus constitute around 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million population. Since the change in government, the military-backed interim regime led by Mohammed Yunus has faced criticism for failing to address increasing attacks on minorities. In recent months, Hindu businesses, homes, and temples have faced vandalism. Earlier this month, sedition charges were filed against 19 participants in a minority rights rally in Chittagong. Calls for Action From Indian Leaders BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari condemned the arrest, highlighting Brahmachari’s efforts to protect Hindu minorities. “Renowned firebrand Hindu Leader; Shri Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu has been abducted by the Detective Branch at Dhaka Airport in Bangladesh. He is leading the fight for the survival & dignity of the Hindu Minorities of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi Sanatani Community fear that Md Yunus’s ‘Radical’ Regime may stoop to any level, even eliminate ‘perceived threats’ to its authority. I urge @DrSJaishankar Ji to kindly take note of the matter and take urgent steps,” Adhikari posted on social media. Arrest Seen as Attempt to Silence Dissent Kanchan Gupta, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, described the arrest as “a targeted move to stifle voices of protest.” “Hindu leader and ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari is reported arrested in Dhaka by Yunus Regime Police. Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was charged with sedition after he led a massive rally of Hindus protesting targeted hate attacks and demanding protection from Islamists. Tallest leader of the Hindu community, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari is believed to have been taken to Detective Branch of Yunus Regime,” Gupta wrote. Government Defends Actions Amid Criticism The interim regime has defended its minority protection measures, pointing to enhanced security during Durga Puja, celebrated at over 32,000 venues nationwide. However, activists argue these efforts fall short in addressing the underlying issues. The interim government recently announced plans for electoral reforms and a new election roadmap, but critics question its commitment to democracy amidst reports of targeted violence against minorities. Read More : Portuguese Celebrity Accused Of Abusing His 95-Year-Old American WifeJoel Klatt Names Team 'In a Great Spot' to Make College Football Playoff Despite Week 13 Loss
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President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his pick to serve as U.S. attorney general in his incoming administration, after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration earlier in the day. “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans - Not anymore,” Trump said in a Thursday post announcing the pick on his Truth Social platform. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. She has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers. Bondi is from Tampa and spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor. She was Florida’s first female attorney general. This is a developing story and will be updated. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Blame it on the food and drink?
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Advertisement Thanks to tax cuts made during the first Trump administration, Americans can give or hand down about $13 million in assets without paying federal estate tax. Only 0.2% of taxpayers have to worry about this tax, and they hire top-notch accountants and lawyers to pay as little as possible. "This is a wealthy person's playground problem," Robert Strauss, partner at the law firm Weinstock Manion, told Business Insider. Advertisement Some of these tax avoidance techniques might be eyebrow-raising, yet they are perfectly legal. For instance, taxpayers can put homes and country homes in trusts that last decades and any appreciation in the property's value doesn't count toward their taxable estate. Life insurance, probably the least sexy area of financial planning, can be used to save tens of millions of dollars in taxes if bought from issuers in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Currently, individuals and married couples can gift or bequeath $13.61 million and $27.22 million, respectively, before a 40% federal estate tax kicks in. That exemption is due to expire at the end of 2025, but it looks likely that it will be extended given the Republican Party's total control of Washington. Here are 12 little-known techniques that the richest taxpayers use to pay less to Uncle Sam: Using trusts to give away homes and country houses Qualified personal residence trusts , better known as "QPRTs," effectively freeze the value of a real estate property for tax purposes. The homeowner puts the primary residence or vacation home in the trust and retains ownership for however many years they choose. When the trust ends, the property is transferred out of the taxable estate. The estate only has to pay gift tax on the value of the property when the trust was formed even if the home has appreciated by millions in value. Advertisement QPRTs have become more popular in the past year as interest rate hikes confer another tax benefit. It seems too good to be true, but there are a few strings attached. Passing wealth to future generations with trusts that last up to 1,000 years From the Wrigley family behind the titular chewing gum brand to Jeff Bezos' mother, an Amazon investor, some of America's wealthiest use generation-skipping trusts to avoid paying wealth transfer taxes and provide for future heirs. These so-called dynasty trusts allow taxpayers to pass along wealth to generations that haven't even been born yet and only be subject to the 40% generation-skipping tax once. Many states have eased trust limits to get the business of the wealthy, with Florida and Wyoming allowing dynasty trusts to last as long as 1,000 years, which spans about 40 generations. Advertisement The heirs don't own the trust assets but rather have lifetime rights to the trust's income and real estate. These trusts even protect assets from future creditors and shield them in the event of a divorce. iStock; BI Giving to charity via trusts that also yield income Charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) allow moneyed Americans to have their cake and eat it too. Plenty of affluent taxpayers deduct charitable donations from their taxable income, but the ultra-rich can parlay their philanthropy into guaranteed income for life. Advertisement Taxpayers put assets in the trust, collect annual payments for as long as they live, and get a partial tax break. Only 10% of what remains in the CRT has to go to a designated charity to pass muster with the IRS. These trusts can be funded with a wide range of assets, from yachts to property to closely held businesses, making them particularly useful for entrepreneurs looking to cash out and do good. Related stories Holding life insurance policies via trusts to save on taxes and protect heirs from lawsuits Rich founders with illiquid assets can take out life insurance policies to cover their estate taxes. They get the most bang for their buck if they put the life insurance policy inside a trust rather than owning it directly. The irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) collects the death benefit, pays the tax bill, and distributes whatever is left according to the insured individual's wishes. Any payout is also protected from estate taxes, even if the insured's estate and death benefit exceed the exemption. Advertisement There are other perks. If the insured wants to make sure that their heirs are protected from creditors or divorcing spouses, they can use ILITs to be doubly safe. While the law varies by state, trusts and life insurance both have strong legal protections. Using charitable trusts that give the remainder to heirs Also known as the Jackie O trust since it was used by the late First Lady, a charitable lead trust or CLT makes annual payments to a charity or multiple. Whatever is left when the trust expires goes to a remainder beneficiary picked by the grantor, typically their children. If the assets within the trusts appreciate faster than an interest rate set by the IRS at the time of funding, the beneficiary can even end up with a bigger inheritance. CLTs can also be used to discreetly transfer wealth while being publicly philanthropic. Advertisement "I've seen lawyers use these to plan for mistresses, to plan for children that perhaps the spouse doesn't know about," lawyer Edward Renn told Business Insider. Getty; BI Taking loans to pay estate taxes Unlike QPRTs and CRTs, this technique is highly scrutinized by the IRS and comes with a lot of hoops to jump through. Families that are asset-rich but cash-poor and facing an estate tax bill can either rush to sell those assets to make the nine-month deadline or take a loan. Advertisement The estate can make an upfront deduction on the interest of these Graegin loans , named after a 1988 Tax Court case. Further, if illiquid assets make up at least 35% of the estate's value, families can defer estate tax for as long as 14 years, paying in installments with interest, and effectively taking a loan from the government. Graegin loans are prime targets for auditors and have led to years-long legal battles, but the savings can be worth it for rich families. Buying offshore life insurance policies Private-placement life insurance , or PPLI, can be used to pass on assets from stocks to yachts to heirs without incurring any estate tax. Advertisement In short, an attorney sets up a trust for a wealthy client. The trust owns the life-insurance policy that's created offshore. The assets in the trust are treated as premiums, and if structured correctly, the benefit and assets in the policy are bequeathed free of estate tax. It's only relevant to the ultra-wealthy, often requiring $5 million in upfront premiums as well as a small army of professionals to set up and administer, including trust and estate attorneys, asset managers, custodians, and tax advisors. Related stories Transferring depressed assets during a market slump The down market has one silver lining for high-net-worth individuals. It is an optimal time to create new trusts as people can transfer depressed assets, whether they are stocks or bitcoin, at a lower tax basis. Advertisement The long-favored grantor-retained annuity trusts (GRATs) can confer big tax savings during recessions. These trusts pay a fixed annuity during the trust term, which is usually two years, and any appreciation of the assets' value is not subject to estate tax. GRATs have picked up in popularity in the past year as the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates, which eat into the returns on these trusts. ivanastar/Getty, akurtz/Getty, DNY59/Getty, Tyler Le/BI Stashing assets in trusts for a spouse The wealthy can save on taxes by putting their riches in trusts before the Trump tax cuts expire, but some don't feel ready to give their fortunes to their kids yet. Advertisement Luckily, there is a compromise. Using a spousal lifetime-access trust , also known as a "SLAT," married taxpayers can stash their fortunes in trusts that pay distributions to their spouses rather than giving assets to their kids. The beneficiary spouse can use this cash flow to fund the couple's lifestyle. After this spouse dies, the trust passes to new beneficiaries, typically the couple's children. Buyer beware: divorce can mean losing those dollars forever. But millions in potential tax savings can be worth the gamble. Using trusts that pay cash to spouses but keep the assets for the kids When the wealthy remarry, they often have to balance the needs of their new spouse and their kids from a prior marriage. Trusts can be used to take care of the spouses, but the adult kids want their piece of the pie. Advertisement There is a way to make everyone happy. With a qualified terminable interest property trust , also known as a "QTIP," married taxpayers can put their fortunes in trusts that pay distributions such as stock dividends to their spouses. The income-producing assets, however, are untouched, and when the beneficiary spouse dies, everything in the trust is transferred to new beneficiaries, who are typically the adult children of the spouse who funds the trust. The main benefit of QTIPs is peace of mind. If the beneficiary spouse remarries, they still get the cash, but they can't gift the assets to their new partner. Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI Transferring business assets to family-limited partnerships at big discounts Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, used a family limited partnership or "FLP" to save his kids and wife from paying any estate taxes on multibillion-dollar family fortune. Advertisement With an FLP, an individual — often a parent or two parents — pools their business assets, commonly real estate or stocks. As a general partner, the original individual can name their children as limited partners and give them interest in the partnership. The kids get cash distributions from revenue generated by the trust but do not have control over the actual assets. This control is appealing to parents who want to hold the purse strings. Another sweetener: You can claim a discount on the assets transferred to the FLP and use even less of your estate-tax exemption. Though the IRS scrutinizes these discounts, they can be worth the gamble. The right lawyer can justify a discount of 45% or higher for less liquid assets, such as privately held businesses. Giving stock to parents and inheriting it back when they die Wealthy founders who built their businesses from the ground up face hefty capital gains taxes when they cash out. Instead of selling the shares outright, they can save on taxes by gifting their stock to their parents and waiting to sell the stock until they inherit it after their parents' death. These "upstream transfers" take advantage of a tax loophole for inherited assets that boosts the cost basis to its fair market value at the time of inheritance. Advertisement This tactic can also be used to save on estate taxes by ultra-rich entrepreneurs who have already used their exemption but have less-wealthy parents who haven't. They can stash the assets in a trust that benefits their parents until their passing and then their children. When the children inherit the assets, the federal estate tax doesn't kick in as long as the grandparents' estate does not exceed $27.22 million. Lawyers warn that upstream planning comes with risks. Individuals can lose their assets for good if their parents decide to share the wealth with a new spouse or other children.None
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts defense started this season struggling. It couldn't stop the run, couldn't keep teams out of the end zone, couldn't get off the field. Now the script has flipped. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's group is playing stouter, holding teams — even the high-scoring Detroit Lions — largely in check long enough to give Indy a chance to win, and it's the Colts offense that has struggled. “They are playing their tails off. You don’t want them on the field a bunch and as an offense you want to be able to play complementary football,” running back Jonathan Taylor said after Sunday's 24-6 loss. “I would say specifically on offense, it sucks when you can’t help your defense out when they are fighting their tails off all game.” Indy's defense held up its end of the bargain by limiting the Lions (10-1) to 14 first-half points and allowing just 24, matching Detroit's lowest output since Week 3. The problem: Even when the Colts (5-7) did get Detroit off the field, they couldn't sustain drives or score touchdowns. Again. Anthony Richardson provided the bulk of the ground game by rushing 10 times for 61 yards, mostly early. Taylor managed just 35 yards on 11 carries and a season-high 10 penalties constantly forced the Colts to dig out from deep deficits. Part of that was by design. “We knew Jonathan Taylor was going to be the guy we needed to shut down,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We did that. The quarterback runs. It got us on a couple but overall, we did what we needed to do, and we kept them out of that game." Part of it could be because of an injury-battered offensive line that has started three rookies each of the past two weeks and finished the previous game with the same three rookies. Whatever the fix, Indy needs a good solution. There is good news for Indy is that its schedule now gets substantially more manageable. After losing four of five, all to teams in playoff position and three to division leaders, Indy faces only one team with a winning record in its final five games. The most recent time the Colts played a team with a losing mark, Richardson rallied them past the New York Jets 28-27. But Colts coach Shane Steichen knows that's not the answer. The Colts must get this offense righted now. “We’ve got to get that figured out. We’ve got to get him going on the ground,” Steichen said when asked about Taylor, who has 92 yards on his past 35 carries. “We’ll look at the offensive line. We’ll look at everything." Story continues below video Pass rush. Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner's presence certainly has been felt since he returned from a sprained ankle Oct. 27. In those past five games, the Colts have had 14 sacks, including three of Jared Goff on Sunday. Penalties. The Colts have had one of the cleanest operations in the league most of this season. Sunday was an anomaly, but one that can't merely be written off. WR Michael Pittman Jr. The five-year veteran is one of the league's toughest guys, but playing through a back injury appeared to take its toll on Pittman's productivity. Since sitting out in Week 10, Pittman has 11 receptions for 142 yards including six for 96 yards, his second-highest total of the season, Sunday. Tight ends. Each week the Colts want their tight ends to make an impact. And each week, they seem to fail. It happened again Sunday when Drew Ogletree dropped a TD pass that would have given Indy a 10-7 lead. Instead, Indy settled for a field goal and a 7-6 deficit. Through 12 games, Indy's tight ends have a total of 26 catches, 299 yards and two TDs. That's just not good enough in a league where versatile, productive tight ends increasingly signal success. Pittman and WR Josh Downs both returned to the game after leaving briefly with shoulder injuries. WR Ashton Dulin did not return after hurting his foot in the second half. But the bigger questions come on the offensive line. LT Bernhard Raimann (knee) was inactive Sunday, and rookie center Tanor Bortolini entered the concussion protocol Monday. Bortolini was one of three rookie starters the past two weeks, replacing Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly who is on injured reserve. 55.88 — Indy has scored touchdowns on 55.88% of its red zone trips this season. While it puts it near the middle of the NFL, it's cost the Colts multiple wins. Richardson needs to rebound from this latest 11 of 28 performance and show he can lead the Colts to victories week after week. He'll get plenty of chances over the season's final month, starting with next week's game at the New England Patriots. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
An Ole Miss student exchanged messages with the man now on trial in his killing, police say2 No-Brainer Energy Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right NowIn fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. "The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more," Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. "There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie," said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction." In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the "no-fault findings," as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist "saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities." But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's "decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable." A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug "then entered the market through illegal channels," he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles," Li said. "The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice." This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. "Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated," he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. "It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. "Which clearly it has not."
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts defense started this season struggling. It couldn't stop the run, couldn't keep teams out of the end zone, couldn't get off the field.
The kind gesture of two National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament-elect has earned the commendation of Ghanaians. As part of activities to mark the Boxing Day celebration, John Dumelo and Edem Agbana, the Members of Parliament-elect for the Ayawaso West Wuogon and the Ketu North Constituencies, have visited hospitals in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency to help needy patients. The two young future lawmakers who are going to Parliament for the first time paid the medical bills for those in need. They also provided food to the patients. This was captured in a Facebook post by Accra-based Onua TV. The gesture of the duo has triggered massive discussions on social media, with many praising them for putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged in society. “The ordinary Ghanaian doesn’t need much but a little care and pampering and his or her little share of the National Cake and you are endeared to them. The act of compassion is the fundamentals of leadership. Congratulations to you Hon,” one person wrote. Great work, Hon. But seriously, Hon.John Dumelo, you are really doing great things. “I pray you become a great and powerful President one day,” another person added. The Ayawaso West Wuogon Contest Dumelo, who was running under the banner of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), secured a significant victory after a fierce campaign that captivated both young and old voters alike. His win marks a major achievement in his political career, after his first attempt in 2020, when he narrowly lost to the NPP’s Mrs. Lydia Alhassan. In the final results, John Dumelo garnered 47,560 votes, defeating Mrs. Lydia Alhassan, who secured 39,214 votes, a margin that demonstrates growing support for Dumelo’s vision for the constituency. Source link https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid026BUzdSYbqqmchU6b63tyQY7fg5ZW7rJFWtQg9R4i2YfyRzeh1Hm696HCkDLeSW36l&id=100043366522994&mibextid=ZbWKwL Remember to like, comment, share, and follow for more updates.