A top-performing Chinese macro hedge fund blamed global capital for sinking the country’s stocks to the lowest levels

The government has issued an eye-watering $1 trillion in Treasury bills since the debt-ceiling was suspended in early

A man who gunned down a beloved store owner in California during a dispute over a Pride flag, was killed during “a lethal force encounter” with police. The identity of the gunman has not been released, with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office only stating that he was a male adult. The man shot and killed Laura Ann Carleton, 66, at her clothing store “Mag Pi” after he made “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store,” officials said. The shooting happened around 5pm on Friday at the store on Hook Creek Road in in Cedar Glen, near Lake Arrowhead. When deputies responded to the store, they found Carleton with a gunshot wound. The mother of nine was pronounced dead at the scene. The gunman fled the area, but was later located near Torrey Road and Rause Rancho Road and was armed with a handgun when he was confronted by the authorities. He was killed during “a lethal force encounter” with deputies, who did not sustain injuries. “Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” officials said. It was unclear whether the shooting was being investigated as a hate crime. The 66-year-old mother-of-nine had remained defiant as a prominent ally to the LGBT+ community. When people first ripped down the Pride flag hanging outside her store, Carleton simply got another and hung it straight back up. Friends say this happened multiple times in the two years since she opened the California store as a second outpost to her first location in Studio City. Hollywood director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute saying that Carleton, who he called his “wonderful friend,” had been killed by a young man. “Her alleged murderer was later shot and killed by the San Bernardino police and so no longer poses a threat to the community,” Feig continued. “But this intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.” The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ described her as a “remarkable figure”, whose "unwavering support" for the community and “dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space within her shop touched the lives of many”. The shooting comes about one month after the Anti-Defamation League and the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD released a report indicating a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ harassment, vandalism or assault in the United States. “This is absolutely horrific. This disgusting hate has no place in CA,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a social media post on Saturday. Read More Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Mag.Pi store owner and ‘true LGBTQ ally’ killed in row over Pride flag California store owner, 66, shot dead after argument about Pride flag outside her shop Paul Feig leads celebrity reactions to ‘horrific’ shooting of California store owner over Pride flag

Nvidia Corp. shares climbed as much as 5.4% on Monday, as more analysts raised their price targets on

The Metropolitan College of New York needs to save itself financially. But first it needs bondholders’ help. The

Rachel Morin was remembered over the weekend as hundreds of community members took part in a tribute walk along the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, where the mother-of-five was murdered. The 5km walk, called “Rachel’s last steps”, was organised by Morin’s sister Rebekah and took place on Saturday. Community members came out to pay tribute to the 37-year-old on the walk before then heading to the Flavor Cupcakery Bakery and Cafe, where 20 percent of its sales were donated to support Morin’s five children. Morin was found dead on the trail on 6 August, after heading to the trail for a walk the evening before. More than two weeks on, the killer remains at large. Last week, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office announced a major break in the case, revealing that DNA found at the scene of Morin’s murder had been matched to the DNA left at a home where an unknown man broke into a home in Los Angeles and violently attacked a young girl back in March. The suspect, a Hispanic male aged 20-30, was caught on a home security camera leaving the LA home. Read More Maryland police have DNA matching Rachel Morin murder suspect and video images but no identity Rachel Morin’s mother breaks silence on daughter’s killing Maryland sheriff calls out ‘heinous coward’ who killed mother-of-five Rachel Morin Rachel Morin’s boyfriend speaks out after police name man wanted over sex assault as suspect in murder

Permian Resources Corp., a US oil producer named after the shale basin in which it operates, agreed to

A raging wildfire that has torn through Tenerife was started deliberately, officials have now confirmed. More than 12,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as the devastating blaze obliterated about 13,400 hectares (33,000 acres) of pine forest and scrubland. Locals have been fleeing in horror against of background of towering flames and smoke as the fire spread after it was first sparked last Tuesday. Fernando Clavijo, regional president of Canary Islands, said police suspected arson and have opened three lines of investigation. It has not been revealed if any arrests were made. The fire began in the Arafo mountains around the Mount Teide volcano - Spain’s highest peak- expanding to a raging perimeter of 84 kilometers as it ravaged the north of the island over the last six days. The municipalities of Arafo, Candelaria, El Rosario, La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, La Victoria, El Sauzal and Tacoronte have been the most severely impacted. But today, Mr Clavijo told Spain’s Cadena SER radio “the worst is over,” adding that the hundreds of firefighters deployed had made some progress for the second night in a row. “Today, we will keep on working, consolidating perimeters. We cannot talk about control yet, we’ll see if we can stabilise all the fronts,” he added. Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the fire area would be declared a catastrophe zone, entitling the island to funds to help with reforestation and compensation for people affected. Below is a map of the areas impacted by the wildfire: Authorities on Sunday allowed some of the 12,000 people evacuated from the villages of Arafo and Candelaria to return to their homes and the remaining evacuees could receive more good news on Monday, Clavijo said. However, emergency services recommended residents in the area around the fire, which includes the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to close windows and to stay indoors. It recommended wearing face masks if they need to go outside, as the air quality was “very unfavourable” due to smoke. Popular tourist areas on Tenerife, part of the Canaries archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally. Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa. The island’s tourism office stressed in a statement Thursday afternoon that the main tourist areas and cities of the island were away from the fire. Read More Major wildfires burn in Greece, Spain's Canary Island of Tenerife Mapped: Where are the wildfires in Tenerife as blaze forces thousands to flee Best winter holiday destinations: where to travel for snow, sun or skiing Tenerife wildfires mapped as blaze forces thousands to flee Thousands more evacuated as Tenerife fire rages on Spain's Canary Islands Firefighters battle to stop Tenerife’s worst wildfires in decades

South African coal exporter Thungela Resources Ltd. saw profits plunge by 69% in the first half of the

Two women are wanted on suspicion of kidnapping newborn twin brothers from a hospital in Michigan. The Livonia Police Department issued an Amber Alert on Monday morning for the two missing children who were snatched from a hospital in Livonia. The African-American twins – Montana Alexander Bridges and Matthew Jace Bridges – are just 14 days old and are believed to be dressed only in diapers. Chilling surveillance footage captured the two kidnapping suspects – described as unidentified African-American females – with their faces hidden by hoods. One woman was dressed in a grey hoody, dark pants and white or cream croc-style shoes. The second woman was wearing a dark hoody, shorts and shoes. Their identities are currently unknown. The suspects are believed to be traveling in a black Jeep Cherokee with chrome trim around the passenger windows. They were last seen near the Quality Inn on Plymouth Road between Merriman and Middlebelt in Livonia, police said. Anyone with information is urged to contact Livonia Police Department at 7344662470 ext- 2 or dial 911 Read More Missing child stuck in storm drain rescued in Tennessee Friends of missing Katy Perry songwriter Camela Leierth-Segura fear someone is holding her captive

A leading physicist and astronomer who served as a key consultant in Vladimir Putin’s moon mission was hospitalised in Moscow after Russia’s first lunar expedition in 47 years failed. Mikhail Marov, 90, was rushed to hospital following a “sharp deterioration” in his health after Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed into the moon. "It is so sad that it was not possible to land the apparatus," he said after the failure of Luna-25 was announced. Russia’s state space corporation Roskosmos said it lost contact with the craft at 11.57am (GMT) on Saturday after a problem as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. A soft landing had been planned for Monday. "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon," Roskosmos said in a statement. It said a special inter-departmental commission had been formed to investigate the reasons behind the loss of the Luna-25 craft, whose mission had raised hopes in Moscow that Russia was returning to the big power moon race. Mr Marov told the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper that he hoped the reasons behind the crash would be discussed and examined rigorously. "This was perhaps the last hope for me to see a revival of our lunar programme," he said, according to Reuters. “There was a mistake in the algorithms for launching into near-lunar orbit,’ he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. “It must be found.” “For the specialists who will be involved in the work of the commission, this will not be a big problem. I think the answer will be found in the foreseeable future.” Sharing details on his medical condition, he told the outlet that he is currently “under observation” as he shared his exasperation over the failure of the mission. “How can I not worry? This has been very much a matter of my life. It’s all very hard.” The failure of Luna-25 underscored the decline of Russia’s space power since the glory days of Cold War competition when Moscow was the first to launch a satellite to orbit the Earth – Sputnik 1, in 1957 – and Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel into space in 1961. It also comes as Russia’s $2 trillion economy faces its biggest external challenge for decades: the pressure of both Western sanctions and fighting the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two. Though moon missions are fiendishly difficult, and many US and Soviet attempts have failed, Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, when Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Kremlin. Russia has been racing against India, whose Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to land on the moon’s south pole this week, and more broadly against China and the United States which both have advanced lunar ambitions. Russian officials had hoped that the Luna-25 mission would show Russia can compete with the superpowers in space despite its post-Soviet decline and the vast cost of the Ukraine war. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into moon in failed mission The Russian space agency says its Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon. Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuver The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

One summer night a decade ago, the al-Shami family was woken up by a roaring sound or rockets but it wasn't followed by the usual explosions. Instead, the family members started having difficulty breathing. Ghiad al-Shami, 26, remembers how everyone tried to run to the rooftop of their apartment building in eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb that at the time was held by opposition fighters trying to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. Al-Shami's mother, three sisters and two brothers died that night — victims of the Aug. 21, 2013 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds and left thousands of others hurt. Ten years on, al-Shami and other survivors say there has been no accountability for the attack and for the other atrocities committed in Syria during the country's brutal civil war, now in its 13th year. Over the past year, Assad's government — accused by the United Nations of repeated chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians — has been able to break out of its political isolation. Assad was welcomed back to the Arab League, which had suspended Syria’s membership in 2011 following a crackdown on anti-government protests. With the help of top allies Russia and Iran, Assad also recaptured large swaths of territory he initially lost to opposition groups. “Today, instead of holding perpetrators accountable, Assad is being welcomed back into the Arab League and invited to international conferences, cementing impunity for the most heinous of crimes,” said Laila Kiki, executive director of The Syria Campaign advocacy group. “To all those who seek to shake hands with Assad, this anniversary should serve as a clear reminder of the atrocities his regime has committed,” she said in a statement. In 2013, Assad was widely held responsible for the eastern Ghouta attack — weapons specialists said the rocket systems involved were in the Syrian army’s arsenal. The Syrian government has denied ever using chemical weapons. Russia, Syria’s prime ally, claims the Ghouta attack was carried out by opposition forces trying to push for foreign military intervention. The United States threatened military retaliation in the aftermath of the attack, with then-President Barack Obama saying Assad’s use of chemical weapons would be Washington’s “red line.” However, the U.S. public and Congress were wary of a new war, as invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq had turned into quagmires. In the end, Washington settled for a deal with Moscow for Assad to give up his chemical weapons' stockpile. Syria says it eliminated its chemical arsenal under the 2013 agreement. It also joined a global chemical weapons watchdog based in The Hague, Netherlands, as global pressure mounted on Damascus. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has blamed the Syrian government for several deadly chemical attacks, most recently for a 2018 chlorine gas attack over Douma, another Damascus suburb, that killed 43 people. Syrian authorities refused to allow investigation teams access to the site of the attack, and had their voting rights within the OPCW suspended in 2021 as punishment for the repeated use of toxic gas. Damascus has accused the watchdog of bias in favor of the West and has not recognized its authority. Western countries say that Syria has not fully declared its chemical weapons stockpile to the OPCW to be destroyed. The Syrian government and its allies reclaimed eastern Ghouta in 2018, with most of its residents fleeing to the last rebel-held enclave in Syria's northwest. Abdel Rahman Sabhia, a nurse and former resident of the suburb, has since moved to the town of Afrin in the northern Aleppo province, now under Turkish-backed groups. “We lost hope in the international community,” said Sabhia, who worked at a voluntary field hospital in Ghouta at the time of the gas attack. “Why should we trust in them if we still haven’t seen any accountability for all the children who lost their families?” Sabhia says he had gotten used to airstrikes and shelling, but the aftermath of the 2013 attack was different. The streets were eerily quiet, “like a ghost town,” he recalled. “We broke into a house and saw a baby, just months old, lying dead in bed with his parents." At the time, dozens of bodies were laid out in hospitals with families looking to identify their loved ones. Some families were buried together in large graves. Al-Shami, who now lives in Istanbul recalls regaining consciousness a day after the attack. “I felt helpless,” he said. ___ Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Protests rock government-held areas in southern Syria as economy crumbles Iran's foreign minister visits Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince as tensions between rivals ease Syrian president doubles public sector wages as national currency spirals downwards