The confirmation of a case of the New World screwworm (NWS) in Texas set off alarm bells across the United States, marking the return of a pest that had been eradicated from the country more than half a century ago. The discovery comes at a particularly sensitive time for the livestock industry, which is facing the smallest cattle herd in 75 years and record-high beef prices, raising concerns about the potential economic consequences of a spread of the parasite.

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Four-ton Paige, brought in as surprise for attenders, made gushing debut after governor finished keynote speech

An African elephant weighing roughly 4 tons that was brought to the Texas Republican party’s annual convention to excite attenders ended up drawing widespread attention for the wrong reasons after she urinated on the convention floor and became the focus of animal welfare concerns.

Inside the George R Brown convention center in Houston on Friday, attenders had been told to prepare for a “larger-than-life surprise” after governor Greg Abbott finished his keynote speech. Organizers also displayed a message asking people to keep the aisles clear.

A photographer was arrested after a woman told police how he failed to deliver photos from her daughter’s quinceañera nearly eight months after the event.

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Donald Trump has added another victory in Texas, underscoring MAGA’s firm grip on the Republican Party in this key state. His Senate pick, the controversial attorney general Ken Paxton, defeated veteran Republican senator John Cornyn by a wide margin. With the result, Paxton denies Cornyn the chance to seek a fifth term in Washington in the November midterm elections.

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Lidia and her family have become increasingly isolated at home as more neighbors are detained by local police or immigration agents. She used to walk for an hour every afternoon, going peacefully to the doctor, to do the shopping, or to take her mother-in-law to church. Not anymore. She doesn’t trust the police either: if she were in a car accident, she’d rather arrive home safely in the damaged vehicle. She lives in Colony Ridge, an immigrant neighborhood 40 minutes from Houston, which for years has been targeted by conservative politicians — including Texas Governor Greg Abbott — who consider it a magnet for undocumented immigration.

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He takes this newspaper’s call on a train bound for Hamburg, home of St. Pauli, continues by car and says goodbye almost an hour later in his office at the headquarters of the modest club, which he has chaired since 2014. Oke Göttlich (Hamburg, Germany; 50) is also one of the 13 vice presidents of the DFB, the German Football Association. And earlier this year, amid threats from Donald Trump’s administration to invade Greenland, Göttlich, a trained journalist, said enough was enough. “What reasons justified the boycotts by certain countries of Olympic Games in the 1980s?” he asked, referring to Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, in the Hamburger Morgenpost. “In my view, the current threat is greater than back then, so we must have this discussion; a footballer’s life is not worth more than the life of any of the people being directly or indirectly attacked by the host country of the next World Cup.”

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WASHINGTON, June 6 — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday it has detected a second case of a dangerous livestock pest whose flesh-eating larvae can kill cattle.

The new incidence of so-called New World screwworm (NWS) was detected in a calf in south Texas about 5.5 miles (10 km) from the first one, which was reported Thursday, the department said on X.

The outbreak has triggered a race to keep the pest from spreading.

The NWS fly was thought to be eradicated in the United States in 1966. But Florida experienced an outbreak in 2016 that primarily impacted deer and was eliminated the following year, according to the department.

The fly has remained present in South America, and in recent years has moved northward.

The first of these new cases, detected near the border with Mexico, has triggered alarm among ranchers, in particular those who raise cattle.

The flies lay their eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals, where they hatch into larvae and feed on flesh. Left untreated, the infestation can be deadly, and the parasites can quickly spread.

The pest can also affect wild animals, pets and even people.

Texas has established a 12-mile (20-kilometre) quarantine zone, meaning all warm-blooded animals including pets must be inspected before leaving the zone.

The fly had been eradicated in the US thanks in large part by dropping millions of sterile flies to mate with wild females.

US officials said some four million sterile flies are now being released weekly from the sky, and that some four million more in the pupae stage were being deployed in ground release chambers.

A USDA study last year estimated a screwworm resurgence in Texas could cost the state’s economy US$1.8 billion (RM7.25 billion). — AFP

Texas trial, which lasted a week, drew national attention due to race, as Anthony is Black and Austin Metcalf was white

Following a trial that lasted just one week from jury selection to verdict, a Collin county, Texas, jury found Karmelo Anthony, now 19, guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf last year.

The closely watched trial drew national attention, with viral social media posts that highlighted the racial composition of the case: Anthony is Black; Austin was white. Attorneys selected 12 jurors and six alternates for the trial; none of the jurors was Black.

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Please be aware... ALL Photos are purely for entertainment. I am no expert. Titles are from recognition - what I was told - or a quick search. Polite comments or corrections are welcome.