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FERGUS 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 the Patel family 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."pan q 。

Penn State’s Nick Singleton is playing his best as he decides whether to return in 2025

Tech occupation unemployment rate inches down to 2.5% DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The tech workforce saw modest movement in the latest national employment data, according to CompTIA , the nonprofit association for the tech industry and workforce. Analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data reveals the tech unemployment rate for the month fell slightly to 2.5%, matching the low end of the rate for 2024. The national unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2% in November. Employment within the technology industry sector was essentially flat with a decline of 1,636 jobs for the month. 1 The tech sector employs nearly 5.6 million people, which translates to a percentage decline of essentially 0%. Tech professions throughout the economy declined by 6,000 in a national workforce of nearly 6.5 million workers. 2 "While a flat month in the aggregate as some employers take a breather, the data continues to highlight the diversity of hiring activity across the tech workforce," Tim Herbert , chief research officer, CompTIA. "Across industry sectors, metro areas and company sizes harnessing tech talent remains a top priority." Active employer job postings for new hiring totaled more than 475,000 in November, down about 42,000 from October. 3 Companies added nearly 184,000 new tech job postings last month, with employers in consulting, finance, manufacturing and technology hardware, software and services among the most active. Artificial intelligence (AI) hiring momentum continues to build. In the aggregate employers recorded nearly 331,000 active job postings throughout 2024 in recruiting for AI job roles and AI skills, a year-over-year increase of 71%. Across all tech occupations 44% of November postings did not specify a four-year degree requirement for applicants. Some occupations had notably higher percentages, including network support specialists (84%) and tech support specialists (71%). The data indicates hiring for work from home (WFH) positions is holding steady at about 20% of total tech job recruiting. On a hiring activity volume basis, the top WFH positions include software developers, IT project managers, data scientists and analysts, tech support specialists, and systems analysts. The "CompTIA Tech Jobs Report" is available at https://www.comptia.org/content/tech-jobs-report . About CompTIA The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world's leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech. https://www.comptia.org/ 1 Labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job postings from Lightcast may be subject to backward revisions. 2 Monthly occupation level data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tends to experience higher levels of variance and volatility. 3 Active job postings include open postings carried over from previous months and new postings added by employers. Media Contact Steven Ostrowski CompTIA sostrowski@comptia.org +1.630.678.8468 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latest-employment-data-shows-little-change-in-tech-job-market-comptia-analysis-finds-302325237.html SOURCE CompTIAPacemakers Market Set for Exceptional Growth in the Forecast 2024-2032

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Published 5:31 pm Friday, December 6, 2024 By Data Skrive The NBA’s seven-game lineup on Saturday should provide some fireworks. The contests include the Memphis Grizzlies versus the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Searching for live coverage of NBA basketball? All the games to watch on Saturday are here. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get access to games, live and on-demand, and more for the entire season and offseason. Watch ESPN originals, The Last Dance and more NBA content on ESPN+. Use our link to sign up for ESPN+ or the Disney bundle. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .BIOVAXYS ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF FIRST TRANCHE OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT AND ANNOUNCES DEBT SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT