A helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and other dignitaries crashed in the mountainous northwest on Sunday, sparking a large rescue attempt in a foggy forest as the population was asked to pray.

The apparent crash occurred as Iran, led by Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched an unprecedented drone and missile offensive on Israel last month and enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

Iran has also endured years of large protests against its Shiite theocracy over an ailing economy and women’s rights, making the situation even more sensitive for Tehran and the country’s future as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages across the Middle East.

Raisi was heading through Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State television reported a “hard landing” at Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran. Later, state television moved it farther east, near the hamlet of Uzi, but reports remained inconsistent.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan region, and other officials and bodyguards accompanied Raisi, according to the Associated Press. One local government official used the term “crash,” while others mentioned a “hard landing” or a “incident.”

Iran’s state TV Silent

In the hours that followed, neither IRNA nor state TV reported on Raisi’s condition. However, hardliners urged the population to pray for him. State television broadcast footage of hundreds of believers, some with their hands raised in supplication, worshiping at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.

One of Shiite Islam’s holiest shrines, as well as in Qom and other cities across the country. The primary channel of state television broadcast the prayers nonstop. In Tehran, a group of men kneeling on the side of the street held strands of prayer beads and watched a video of Raisi praying, with some clearly crying.

“If anything happens to him, we’ll be heartbroken,” one of the men, Mehdi Seyedi, stated. “May the prayers work and may he return to the arms of the nation safe and sound.”

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated on state television that “the esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters, and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to bad weather and fog.”

“Various rescue teams are on their way to the region but because of the poor weather and fogginess it might take time for them to reach the helicopter.”

Poor weather conditions

IRNA referred to the area as a “forest,” and it is also known to be mountainous. Poor weather conditions, including heavy rain and wind, hampered SUVs racing through a wooded region, according to state TV. Rescuers were visible walking through the fog and mist.

A rescue aircraft attempted to land in the region where authorities believe Raisi’s chopper was, but was unable to do so owing to heavy mist, emergency services spokesperson Babak Yektaparast told IRNA.

Late in the evening, Turkey’s defense ministry reported that it had sent an unmanned aerial vehicle and was prepared to send a helicopter with night vision capabilities to assist with the search and rescue efforts.

Long after the sun had set, Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said that “we are experiencing difficult and complicated conditions” throughout the search.

Raisi, 63, a hardliner who formerly commanded the country’s court, is seen as Khamenei’s protégé, and some observers believe he may succeed the 85-year-old leader after his death or retirement. Raisi had gone on the border with Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam alongside President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third that the two countries have built on the Aras River.

The visit occurred despite strained relations between the two countries, including a shooting attempt on Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Tehran in 2023 and Azerbaijan’s diplomatic connections with Israel, which Iran’s Shiite theocracy regards as its principal regional adversary.

Iran pilots a variety of helicopters, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain spare parts. Its military air fleet predates the 1979 Islamic Revolution. IRNA reported images showing Raisi taking off in what seemed to be a Bell helicopter with a blue-and-white paint scheme similar to that seen in prior photographs.

Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, which had the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. The US has sanctioned Raisi in part because of his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political detainees in 1988, at the close of the horrific Iran-Iraq war.

Source: CTN News

Anaheim, California – Disneyland actors who bring Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and other popular characters to life at the Southern California resort voted to unionize after a three-day referendum that ended on Saturday.

The Actors’ Equity Association labor union announced Saturday that cast members at Disney’s theme parks near Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly for the union to become the bargaining agent for approximately 1,700 workers.

According to an association website that tracked balloting among cast members, 78.7% (953 votes) supported the passage, and 21.3% (258 votes) opposed it

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Disneyland Character And Parade Performers In California Vote To Join Labor Union

“They say that Disneyland is ‘the place where dreams come true,’ and for the Disney Cast Members who have worked to organize a union, their dream came true today,” Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle said in a statement on Saturday night.

Shindle described the workers as the “front lines” of the Disneyland guest experience. She said the association and cast members will address health and safety improvements, salaries, benefits, working conditions, and job security before meeting with Walt Disney Company executives to negotiate worker priorities into a contract.

The union now represents theatrical actors in Disney’s Florida parks.

According to the association, the National Labor Relations Board’s regional director will certify the results within a week, assuming no election challenges.

The NLRB did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’s email requesting confirmation or other information about the vote.

The election was held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday in Anaheim, California after employees filed cards earlier this year to join the “Magic United” unit.

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Disneyland Character And Parade Performers In California Vote To Join Labor Union

Parade and character workers who advocated for unionization said they like helping to create a fantastic experience at Disneyland. However, they were anxious when asked to begin hugging people after returning to work during the coronavirus pandemic. They also claimed that elaborate outfits and unpredictable timetables cause damage.

Most of the Disneyland Resort’s more than 35,000 employees, including cleaning crews, pyrotechnic specialists, and security personnel, are already unionized. The resort contains Disneyland, the Walt Disney Company’s oldest theme park, Disney California Adventure and Anaheim’s shopping and entertainment center, Downtown Disney

In recent years, Disney has been accused of failing to pay a living wage to its Southern California employees, who face excessive housing prices and frequently drive long distances or live in cramped quarters. Parade performers and character actors are paid a base rate of $24.15 per hour, up from $20 before January, plus premiums for certain roles.

Union membership has been declining in the United States for decades, but organizations have enjoyed increased public support in recent years during high-profile contract negotiations with Hollywood studios and Las Vegas hotels. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which protects workers’ rights to organize, announced more than 2,500 filings for union representation during the fiscal year 2023, the most in eight years.

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Disneyland Character And Parade Performers In California Vote To Join Labor Union

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that normally represents transportation workers, organized those who play Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck in Florida over 40 years ago.

At the time, Florida performers complained about unclean costumes and harassment from customers, including youngsters who kicked the shins of Disney villains like Captain Hook.

SOURCE – (AP)

Washington — Whether tapioca balls or computer chips, Taiwan is moving toward the United States and away from China, the world’s second-largest economy, which threatens to capture the democratically governed island by force if necessary.

That has resulted in the world’s largest manufacturer of computer chips, which power everything from medical equipment to cellphones, announcing further investments in the United States last month following a boost from the Biden administration. Soon after, a Taiwanese semiconductor company announced the end of its two-decade-long presence in mainland China, citing global competition for a competitive advantage in the high-tech industry.

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Taiwan Is Selling More To The US Than China In Major Shift Away From Beijing

These measures, which come at a time when the China-US rivalry is heating up, reflect Taiwan’s efforts to lessen its reliance on Beijing and shield itself from Chinese coercion while strengthening economic and trade connections with the United States, its most important partner. The change is also taking place as China’s economic growth has slowed and global corporations seek to diversify following supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic.

In a clear example of the transition, the United States surpassed mainland China as the top destination for Taiwan’s exports in the first quarter of the year for the first time since early 2016, when comparable data became available. According to government data, Taiwan shipped $24.6 billion in commodities to the United States in the first three months, compared to $22.4 billion to mainland China.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s investments in mainland China have dropped to their lowest level in more than 20 years, falling over 40% to $3 billion last year from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Nonetheless, Taiwan’s investments in the United States increased to $9.6 billion by 2023.

Washington and Taipei reached a trade pact last year and are negotiating the next phase. US lawmakers have also sponsored legislation to abolish double taxes on Taiwanese enterprises and workers in the United States.

“Everything is motivated by … a desire to build Taiwan’s deterrent capability and their resilience, all in support of maintaining the status quo and deterring China from being tempted to take … action against Taiwan,” Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state, stated.

TSMC, the world’s largest computer chip producer, announced last month that it will increase its US investments to $65 billion. The Biden administration promised incentives worth up to $6.6 billion, putting the company’s Arizona factories on track to create around one-fifth of the world’s most advanced chips by 2030.

Aside from its US investments, TSMC is investing in Japan, a major US ally. Foxconn, a Taiwanese firm best known as Apple’s main contractor, is expanding its production capacity in India, while Pegatron, another Taiwanese company that manufactures iPhone and computer components, is investing in Vietnam.

Last month, King Yuan Electronics Corp., a Taiwanese company that specializes in semiconductor testing and packaging, announced the sale of its $670 million investment in a venture in Suzhou, eastern China. KYEC highlighted geopolitics, the United States’ embargo on exporting sophisticated semiconductors to China, and Beijing’s policy of technological self-sufficiency.

“The ecological environment of semiconductor manufacturing in China has changed, and the market competition has become increasingly severe,” the company stated.

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Taiwan Is Selling More To The US Than China In Major Shift Away From Beijing

Taiwan’s semiconductors, electronic components and computer equipment exports to the United States more than tripled from 2018 to about $37 billion last year. It’s not only technology: between 2018 and 2023, the island more than tripled its exports of tapioca and its replacement, important ingredients in boba milk tea, to the United States, and it’s also sending more fruits, tree nuts, and farmed fish.

The recent trade numbers show “the strategy from both Taiwan and the U.S. to reorient that trade in an effort to de-risk from China,” said Hung Tran, a nonresident senior scholar with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center.

Taiwan’s share of exports to mainland China and Hong Kong declined from approximately 44% in 2020 to less than one-third in the first quarter of 2024. That was “a very big movement,” Tran added. “And I think that the share (of exports to mainland China and Hong Kong) will probably continue to decline.”

Since the 1990s, Beijing has attempted to balance its claim to the island with advantageous economic and trade policies, hoping to build stronger connections that would make it more difficult for Taiwan to break away.

When the independent-leaning Democratic Progressive Party took office in Taiwan in 2016, the new administration announced a policy to remove the island from the mainland while strengthening economic relations with other countries in the area, particularly Southeast Asia. Unhappy Beijing used its economic leverage to try to bring Taiwan to heel.

It has restricted mainland tourists’ travel to the island and stopped imports of Taiwanese seafood, fruits, and snacks. In 2021, due to biosecurity concerns, China prohibited Taiwan-grown pineapples, wreaking havoc on Taiwanese farmers whose exported fruit was almost entirely consumed on the mainland.

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Taiwan Is Selling More To The US Than China In Major Shift Away From Beijing

According to Ralph Cossa, president emeritus of the Pacific Forum, a foreign policy research institute in Honolulu, Beijing’s activities have contributed to the island’s displacement.

Chinese President “Xi Jinping is tactically clever but strategically foolish in many of the decisions he has made; his loyalty tests on Taiwan businessmen and other heavy-handed business practices and decisions have been a major contributor to the success of Taiwan’s” policy to distance itself from China, he stated.

According to Cossa, this approach will continue under Lai Ching-te, the island’s new president.

SOURCE – (AP)