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F1 expands grid, adds Cadillac brand and new American team for '26FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A jury convicted two men on Friday of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has brought increasing numbers of Indians into the U.S., prosecutors said. They were each convicted on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. “This trial exposed the unthinkable cruelty of human smuggling and of those criminal organizations that value profit and greed over humanity,” Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said. “To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers put men, women and children in extraordinary peril leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of an entire family. Because of this unimaginable greed, a father, a mother and two children froze to death in sub-zero temperatures on the Minnesota-Canadian border,” Luger added. The most serious counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press before the trial. But federal sentencing guidelines rely on complicated formulas. Luger said Friday that various factors will be considered in determining what sentences prosecutors will recommend. Federal prosecutors said 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, while trying to cross the border into Minnesota in a scheme Patel and Shand organized. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel. The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. The family was fairly well off by local standards, living in a well-kept, two-story house with a front patio and a wide veranda. Experts say illegal immigration from India is driven by everything from political repression to a dysfunctional American immigration system that can take years, if not decades, to navigate legally. Much is rooted in economics and how even low-wage jobs in the West can ignite hopes for a better life. Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an alleged participant in the smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts. Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. Patel’s lawyers, The Canadian Press reported , said their client had been misidentified. They said “Dirty Hary,” the alleged nickname for Patel found in Shand’s phone, is a different person. Bank records and witness testimony from those who encountered Shand near the border didn’t tie him to the crime, they added. Prosecutors said Patel coordinated the operation while Shand was a driver. Shand was to pick up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the border, prosecutors said. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found two parents and their young children later that morning, dead from the cold. The trial included an inside account of how the international smuggling ring allegedly works and who it targets. Rajinder Singh, 51, testified that he made over $400,000 smuggling over 500 people through the same network that included Patel and Shand. Singh said most of the people he smuggled came from Gujarat state. He said the migrants would often pay smugglers about $100,000 to get them from India to the U.S., where they would work to pay off their debts at low-wage jobs in cities around the country. Singh said the smugglers would run their finances through “hawala,” an informal money transfer system that relies on trust. The pipeline of illegal immigration from India has long existed but has increased sharply along the U.S.-Canada border. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30, which amounted to 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates more than 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the U.S., behind only Mexicans and El Salvadorans. Jamie Holt, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said the case is a stark reminder of the realities victims of human smuggling face. “Human smuggling is a vile crime that preys on the most vulnerable, exploiting their desperation and dreams for a better life,” Holt said. “The suffering endured by this family is unimaginable and it is our duty to ensure that such atrocities are met with the full force of the law.” One juror Kevin Paul, of Clearwater, Minnesota, told reporters afterward that it was hard for the jurors to see the pictures of the family’s bodies. He said he grew up in North Dakota and is familiar with the kind of conditions that led to their deaths. “It’s pretty brutal,” Paul said. “I couldn’t imagine having to do what they had to do out there in the middle of nowhere.”Boost for FTSE as investors pile into UK shares: But £317m inflow may be temporary reprieve
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers turned in a vintage performance against the Miami Dolphins , but the valiant effort ultimately wasn’t enough to stave off another heartbreaking loss . On Sunday, Rodgers wound back the clock at Hard Rock Stadium, completing 27-of-39 passes for 339 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The strong showing marked the first time he’s surpassed 300 passing yards in a single game since December 12, 2021 - a whopping 1,092 days prior. Rodgers’ sole touchdown pass of the afternoon additionally bore significance. With just over 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter of the game, the recently-turned 41-year-old found wide receiver Davante Adams for a three-yard score - the 79th time the pair has connected for a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers uses last throw of dice as New York Jets make IR decision Aaron Rodgers drops major hint on NFL future as he makes eight-word admission With the reception, Rodgers and Adams surpassed Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown for the fourth most by any quarterback-wide receiver duo in NFL history including playoffs. Throughout the back-and-forth contest, Rodgers displayed a skip in his step and newfound mobility that hasn’t been there for much of the season. While making his annual appearance on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ earlier this week, he asserted that the myriad of health setbacks he’s sustained this season were no longer hampering him on the field. "My body feels great, I want to be out there with the guys," Rodgers declared. Rodgers has suffered hamstring, knee and ankle injuries during the 2024-25 campaign, but has yet to miss any playing time. After tearing his Achilles just four snaps into last season, the four-time MVP revealed that one of his main objectives this year was to be on the field for all 17 of the Jets’ games. "One of my goals this year coming back from the Achilles was to play all 17 games," Rodgers said, but conceded that he hoped he’d be healthy at this time of the season while gearing up for a postseason run. Despite holding a three-point lead with less than one minute remaining in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, a strong kick return allowed the Dolphins to nail a game-tying field goal in the closing seconds of regulation. In overtime, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa connected with tight end Jonnu Smith three times for 44 yards - including a 10-yard touchdown catch that’d seal Miami’s win. On the heels of the overtime loss, Rodgers and the Jets were officially eliminated from playoff contention - thereby extending the longest active playoff drought across the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and WNBA to 14-straight seasons. Addressing the Jets’ woeful performance over the last two decades, Rodgers bluntly told reporters following the game, “I’ve started one year. So I’m a part of it one year. It’s disappointing. “Yeah the expectations were high, and we didn't reach them. Not anywhere close,” he added. “We just didn't figure out how to win enough games, I didn't play good enough in crunch times, that's why we're sitting here with the record we've got.” Want to watch more live sports? Peacock has your favorite sports, shows, and more all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 so you can stream live sports like NFL, Premier League, and Big Ten Football.
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Last month, some local credit unions hosted a forum, and I served as one of the panelists. An audience member asked the group to describe ourselves in just one word; a question which I often struggle with so you can imagine my stress when I was handed the mic to answer the question first. After some hemming and hawing, I finally said “resilient.” At first, I regretted this choice as other panelists gave what I thought were superior answers. But the more I’ve thought about this moment, the more I stand by it – and the more I believe it extends beyond myself. Building resilience in our communities is a broad goal of mine as I look to the next two years. I am honored and grateful that the people of Biddeford re-elected me, and I take very seriously the responsibility which comes with that vote. It should come as no surprise that I am worried about actions the federal government may take or fail to take in the coming months and years. Many of these concerns are linked to decisions which could negatively impact funds Maine receives to provide services to people, particularly when it comes to health care. This will present the state with budget challenges and force the Legislature to be disciplined in how we prioritize funds and policies. With this in mind, we must focus on protecting folks’ access to health care and enhance their ability to afford it. A healthier community is a more prosperous community. We must lock in the progress we’ve made in patient access to necessary care, and maintain important consumer protections against price gouging and arbitrary insurance company denials. In this vein, we must do what we can to strengthen our state’s mental health care system; an issue that is deeply personal to me. I am proud of the progress we have made funding crisis response centers, but we must do more to recruit more providers, ensure coverage and invest in preventative and ongoing mental health treatment which can help improve folks’ health before a crisis emerges. Additionally, my colleagues and I must do all that we can to prioritize initiatives that will put money back in Mainers’ pockets. Property taxes are out of control and threaten the ability of both seniors and working class families to remain in their homes. Some of this is due to overly restrictive state policies, including those that are embedded in our state constitution, that prevent cities from being able to shift the tax burden away from residents. This issue can also be attributed to the state’s ongoing and widespread housing crisis. No matter what, tackling high property taxes must include protecting revenue sharing and the state’s commitment to fund 55 percent of the cost of K-12 public education. Additionally, the Legislature needs to work together to bolster our state’s infrastructure so that our communities can be resilient in the face of increasingly severe weather. These storms have impacted both coastal communities like Biddeford and inland communities in central and western Maine – presenting a statewide problem. A commission just completed its study of these challenges and released its report. It is imperative that we implement their recommendations. Finally, the Legislature must continue to stand up for our most vulnerable neighbors and protect the freedoms of all Mainers. I have heard from constituents who are afraid of what the actions of the incoming Trump administration will mean for them. Fortunately, we have strong laws on the books protecting access to reproductive health care (including abortion) and protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ+ Mainers. I will fight to ensure that we do whatever we can to strengthen these protections where needed and will vocally oppose efforts to roll back protections we have passed. The national political climate is toxic right now, and we’ve already seen disturbing rhetoric from cynical politicians who believe they have a mandate to spread hate and division against immigrants, women and trans people. They don’t. Personally, I do not respect politicians who obsess about books, bathrooms and the genitals of high school athletes rather than helping folks afford to feed their families and pay their bills. Such politicians are a minority here in Maine, and we will not let them divide us no matter what we hear coming out of Washington. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to build a more resilient Maine. Let’s get to work. Rep. Marc Malon is serving his first term in the Maine House, representing a portion of Biddeford. He serves as a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and the Labor and Housing Committee. He can be reached via email at marc.malon@legislature.maine.gov. Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »
Haivanship expands operations into northern Vietnam with two new Konecranes Gottwald ESP.9B cranes on bargeLAS VEGAS — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. "As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1."F.N.B. Corporation Prices $500 Million Senior Notes Offering
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