South Africa on Wednesday laid out plans to phase out the captive breeding of lions for hunting purposes as the country moves to ban the controversial business. The practice of breeding big cats to later have them shot by wealthy hunters typically paying thousands of US dollars has long been loathed by conservation and animal rights groups. Hunters, usually foreigners, sometimes take home the head or skin of the killed animal as a trophy. The South African government had already announced its intention to ban the breeding of lions for hunting in 2021 and an ad hoc panel has been working on the issue for the past two years. "The panel recommended the closure of the captive breeding sector, including the keeping of lions in captivity, or the use of captive lions or their derivatives commercially," Environment Minister Barabara Creecy told a press conference in Cape Town. Breeders will have two years to voluntarily withdraw from the sector and change their business model before the ban kicks in. The idea, which has faced strong opposition from representatives of the highly lucrative industry, was approved by the government last week but is yet to be translated into law. The move comes with trophy hunting facing a growing backlash in the West. Campaigns to ban the import of trophies have drawn support in the
United States, Australia and several European countries in recent years. "The industry is large and complex with a long history that is not aligned with both current international trends and domestic policy changes on conservation," said Kamalasen Chetty, head of the ad hoc panel. Between 8,000 and 12,000 lions are kept on about 350 farms across
South Africa, according to estimates by animal rights groups that regularly denounce the conditions in which the animals are held. The number of wild lions in comparison totals only around 3,500, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South Africa-based NGO. © 2024 AFP Former President
Donald Trump reused words offered in a murder victim's obituary while claiming to have spoken to her family while paying tribute to her. Fox 17 reported that Trump used Ruby Garcia's murder as the backdrop for his Tuesday attack on President
Joe Biden, accusing him of a "bloodbath" on the U.S. border. Garcia's sister said Trump had not spoken with the family before the event. Trump, however, claimed to know the victim's family in his Michigan speech. ALSO READ: No, Donald Trump, fraud is not protected by the First Amendment "Ruby's loved ones and community are left grieving for this incredible young woman," Trump said Tuesday. "They said she had just this most contagious laughter and when she walked into a room, she lit up that room — and I've heard that from so many people . I spoke to some of her family." Trump's words echoed a statement made in Garcia's obituary, Media Matters' Matthew Gertz observed. — (@) "Ruby's love for plants and traveling came nothing close to her affectionate smile that illuminated the room or contagious laughter that recreated the atmosphere," the obituary said . Garcia was allegedly killed by her boyfriend Brandon Ortiz-Vite, a
Mexico native who was in the U.S. illegally, the Michigan State
police said. Trump got Garcia's age wrong in his speech, and was then criticized by the victim's sister who said it was "shocking" that he'd claimed to have been in touch with the family. “He did not speak with any of us, so it was kind of shocking seeing that he had said that he had spoke with us," said Mavi Garcia. CONTINUE READING Show less Special counsel Jack Smith is losing his patience with far-right Judge Aileen Cannon in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case as she slow-walks the process in favor of former President Donald Trump and disregards her own duties in jury instructions, argued former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance in a lengthy post on X Wednesday. Her post came after Smith submitted a blistering court filing in which he faulted the judge for, among other things, ordering the jury consider if classified documents Trump was hoarding were his personal property under the Presidential Records Act. In fact, Vance noted, Smith calls out that it was supposed to be Cannon's
Job to make that determination herself in pretrial hearings, not leave it as a hypothetical for the jury to consider. Trump had argued that Cannon should dismiss the trial based on his claim that the PRA made the classified documents his personal property. So far, she has not done that. "Judge Cannon ducked ruling on Trump's motion to dismiss the classified documents case based on the Presidential Records Act, instead asking lawyers to submit jury instructions assuming it did. Special Counsel's Office isn't buying it," wrote Vance. "That's because if the Judge doesn't rule ahead of trial she can dismiss the prosecution during trial & in that posture the government can't appeal because of double jeopardy. So it was clear they would have to force her hand at this point." ALSO READ: No, Donald Trump, fraud is not protected by the First Amendment Federal prosecutors aren't usually this "aggressive" with judges, Vance wrote — but "she left them with no other choice." What's more, Vance concluded, Smith appears to be setting up an appeal to the 11th Circuit, just like he did a year ago when Cannon blocked the
FBI from accessing the seized classified documents in a counterintelligence investigation , and the appellate judges above her smacked her down hard . "The Special Counsel cites law from the 11th Circuit's sister circuit, the Fifth, that lets them bring a writ of mandamus asking the appellate court to correct a district judge's decision to use a clearly erroneous jury instruction that could lead to acquittal," wrote Vance. "Smith spoon feeds the Judge the law, giving her the opportunity to get it right even at this late date. If she doesn't, expect the 11th Cir to bench slap her when he appeals in a way that makes last year's decision look mild (& they weren't)." CONTINUE READING Show less Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan issued a warning to parents Tuesday in a post to X, saying that "illegal aliens" are infiltrating schools while sharing a report detailing two incidents where undocumented migrants walked into a New Mexico middle school, forcing it into lockdown. "Illegal
aliens found hiding in a New Mexico middle school. The school has been put on lockdown twice for similar incidents. Parents worried for their children's safety," Jordan wrote in the post . "How long until this happens where you live?" According to a report from local ABC News affiliate , a group of undocumented migrants walked into Santa Teresa Middle School, putting the school on lockdown, making it the second time such an incident happened at the school in a matter of weeks. The school is about five miles from an opening in the U.S.-Mexico
border wall called "The Anarpa Gap" — which is used for smuggling migrants by the Sinaloa cartel. Also read: Ex-insider spills dirt on how National Enquirer protected Trump According to the U.S. Border Patrol, there are about 1,000 migrant encounters a day in the region, with the most happening near Santa Teresa and Sunland Park. Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson Refugio Corrales said the Gadsden Independent School District is near the U.S. border with Mexico, which means that similar events "happen weekly." "A lot of people in that area that try to evade arrest from our apprehensions do have a criminal history or have
immigration issues," Corrales told KOAT. "So that's the reason why they just take off running and go through locations they're not even familiar with." Jordan got immediate pushback on
Social Media for his post. "I'd say you were pretty safe in Ohio," wrote Jack S. Temple on X. Jack Maxey wrote, "How long until this happens where you live?" Really? For a guy who's going to drain the swamp and has control the house, this kind of reads like a threat to me, OR maybe, a promise." And Gilles Courchaine wrote, "Maybe you could write legislation to fix this issue ! lol." In a statement, the district said it, "Would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the U.S. Border Patrol agents and the officers of the Sunland Park Police Department for their swift and professional response to this situation." "Thanks to their efforts, the safety and security of our students and staff were maintained throughout the incident," the statement added. CONTINUE READING Show less