Tag: wire hub

By KRUTIKA PATHI

NEW DELHI (AP) — In a video that lit up social media feeds in Bangladesh, jubilant protesters climbed atop a statue of Sheikh Mujib Rahman, the country’s first leader after independence, and beat it with iron rods and axes as people below hooted and cheered.

Crowds across the nation have attacked symbols of Rahman, as they sought to literally dismantle his legacy and that of his daughter, Sheikh Hasina, the country’s prime minister until Monday when she resigned and fled in the face of the unrest.

The anger that pushed Hasina from power — and that is behind the drive to erase her and her family — is rooted in deep economic distress felt by the majority of people in Bangladesh, as well as the perception that while they suffered, the elites aligned with Hasina prospered, analysts said.

“It created a deep-seated resentment against the government,” said Ali Riaz, an expert on Bangladeshi politics who teaches political science at Illinois State University.

That eventually triggered a full-scale rejection of Hasina and her increasingly autocratic turn.

Monday’s extraordinary scenes — when crowds ransacked her official residence, her party offices and a museum to her father while she fled to India in a helicopter — capped weeks of protests that began with discontent over a quota system for allocating government jobs that critics said favored those with connections to Hasina’s party.

Hundreds of people were killed as security forces cracked down on the demonstrations — violence that only fueled them, even after the quota system was dramatically scaled back.

It showed that her government “wildly underestimated just how much anger there was among the public, and the sources of the anger which went beyond the issue of job quotas,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.

The 76-year-old, the longest-serving prime minister in the predominantly Muslim country of 170 million, has prided herself on how she transformed Bangladesh’s economy into a global competitor — fields turned into garment factories, bumpy roads became winding highways, more girls went to school, and electricity reached rural villages.

But that transformation was not shared by all and it belied fragilities in the economy, like its dependence on exports and persistently high youth unemployment. Those were exposed after the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine drove her government to seek a $4.7 billion IMF bailout.

Eighteen million young people — almost a fifth of the population — are not working or in school, according to Chietigj Bajpaee, who researches South Asia at the Chatham House think tank. And the fact that the allocation of government jobs was at the center of the initial protests is no coincidence: They were seen as most stable and high-paying, revealing the widespread insecurity that persisted.

Under Hasina, “the benefits of growth were limited to a small elite in or close to the regime,” said Uday Chandra, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar.

Critics also complained she touted the economic advances to cover up her crackdown on dissent, accusing her of curtailing press freedoms, shrinking civil society and jailing thousands of opposition members ahead of the January election in which she won a fourth consecutive term.

The economic successes were “inflated to justify her rule, and to try and push development as an alternative to democracy,” Riaz said, adding that allegations of vote-rigging and a boycott by the main opposition parties in the past three elections contributed to a sense that she lacked legitimacy.

For now, Hasina’s departure is being seen as a resounding victory for the protesters.

“Everyone is celebrating,” shouted Juairia Karim, a student, as she rejoiced with others in the streets Monday. “This has to be a historical day.”

But Hasina’s ouster has also plunged the nation into uncertainty. The ceremonial president dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, as he and the military chief promised to announce an interim government that would lead the country until new elections can be held. It’s not clear how long that process could take — but it could be months or years.

The president also released Hasina’s archrival, Khaleda Zia, the chief of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, from house arrest where she languished for years.

Meanwhile, student protesters demanded that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus — a longtime opponent of Hasina — be put in charge of the interim government. He could not immediately be reached for comment, but one student leader said Yunus has agreed to step in.

As for Hasina, it’s unclear what’s next. On Tuesday, India’s foreign minister confirmed that she had arrived in the country the day before but did not say whether she would stay or head elsewhere.

And more unrest could yet come — especially if the influential military attempts to go beyond its role of mediator. Bangladesh has faced more than 20 coups or coup attempts since independence in 1971.

“In a fraught political environment, uncertainty can breed volatility and volatility can provoke more violence,” said Kugelman, of the Wilson Center. “The last thing Bangladesh can afford right now is a broader security crisis … and this will come down to what role the army plays in addressing the serious threats to stability.”

Originally Published: August 6, 2024 at 8:20 a.m.

By ARNIE STAPLETON

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Maybe it’s the mountain air. Maybe it’s being around all Gen Zs. Or being away from the NFL meatgrinder.

Pat Shurmur said he feels rejuvenated as he prepares for his first season as Colorado’s offensive coordinator, where he’s in charge of building an offense around star QB Shedeur Sanders, the son of Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

He’s designing a dynamic playbook that features more downfield action than he was accustomed to during his nearly quarter-century working in the NFL ranks, which included head coaching stints with the Browns, Eagles and Giants.

Shurmur has a better backfield than his predecessor, Sean Lewis, led by Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden, and a beefed-up offensive line featuring the kind of behemoths the Buffs trust will keep Shedeur Sanders upright and lead them to a breakout season and a bowl game in 2024.

Shurmur is entering his 35th year of coaching but his first at the college level since tutoring Stanford’s offensive line in 1998.

“Shoot, I feel 20 years younger working with these young people,” Shurmur said Friday. “… This has been fun for me working with these young players. I’ve got a new fresh perspective.”

Shurmur got a taste of it when he took over as the Buffs’ play-caller for the final month of last season, when he was promoted from offensive analyst to co-offensive coordinator.

“I felt a couple of those games we had a chance to win,” Shurmur said. “But last year was just kind of finishing up something. I think Coach make the point sometimes it’s hard to cook in somebody else’s kitchen because you can’t really change anything, at that point your team is pretty set.”

Now he’s cooking up his own creations.

“We were able to kind of reset it the way we wanted to,” Shurmur said. “And the guys went out and got us some new players. We felt like we needed to go get more quality big men and then we install an offense that works for us. And I feel like it’s a new start.”

For both the Buffs and himself.

Before Shurmur’s arrival in Boulder last year, the Buffaloes spent their fall camp going back to basics because so many holdovers had transferred following the spring game.

“I can’t imagine. That was a tough scenario,” Shurmur said, noting the continuity and chemistry this year.

Now that camp is here, “we’re allowed to give them more messages,” Shurmur said. “We had a message yesterday about if you want to change something about your life, you’ve got to change something, you know? I think we can all relate to that.

“My message today was, ‘Hey guys, it’s never going to get any better than this.’ You’ve got a car to drive, a few bucks in your pocket, nice place to stay. You’re doing exactly what you want in life. In a beautiful setting. With a lot of very talented people.”

From a practicality standpoint, Shurmur said the big changes he’s working on are building a better ground game and protecting the quarterback.

“I like to call it commonsense football,” Shurmur said.

His demeanor outside the Buffaloes’ training complex Friday stood in stark contrast to his two seasons he spent as Vic Fangio’s offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos, who went 12-21 in 2020-21, leading to both of their firings on Jan. 9, 2022.

After that, Shurmur spent more than a year away from football before Deion Sanders summoned him back to Colorado, and time has certainly polished the rough edges from his last NFL gig.

“We had made great strides at the Broncos. We were close,” he said. “Teddy (Bridgewater) was 7-4 as a starter, he ended up getting hurt. We had a chance at some point. We had a team that was on offense very young, right? With a young quarterback coming in at the end, Drew (Lock). … Unfortunately, we fell a little bit short. But it’s kind of the way it is in that league.

“But a fresh start? For sure. I mean, I was able to go back and evaluate for myself the things over the years that worked, the things that didn’t,” Shurmur said. “I think that’s the advantage of experience. I mean, who knew that the journey would take me back to college?”

Shurmur never was one to have such philosophical exchanges with the media while with the Broncos, but he appears to be loving life in the Rockies right now.

“I think we all grow, right? Everybody writes better stories, do better podcasts, everybody gets better as they go through life, right?” Shurmur said. “And that’s part of the journey, and I’m just very thankful that I have a chance to do it here.”

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Originally Published: August 2, 2024 at 4:51 p.m.

By The Associated Press

After a couple days of rain, sunny skies should be out for the second full day of action at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sunday’s competition features more excitement in gymnastics, basketball and swimming. Here are the biggest storylines to follow:

Gymnastics icon Simone Biles returns to Olympic stage

Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team take center stage with qualifying at Bercy Arena. Biles is looking to earn her fifth Olympic gold medal and seventh overall. She won two medals in Tokyo despite withdrawing from the all-around to focus on her mental health.

Competition begins at 9:30 a.m. CEST (3:30 a.m. EST) with Subdivision 1. Biles and Co. are in Subdivision 2, beginning at 11:40 a.m. in Paris. They’ll start on the balance beam.

Biles will anchor three of four events for the Americans on Sunday: balance beam, floor exercise and vault. She will go next-to-last on uneven bars. Reigning all-around champion Sunisa Lee and Tokyo silver medalist Jordan Chiles also will compete in all four events in qualifying. The top eight teams from qualifying advance to the team final on Tuesday.

The top 24 individual qualifiers in the all-around will make the finals on Thursday. There’s a limit of two gymnasts per country.

LeBron James, Team USA basketball begin gold medal defense

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and their squad of U.S. stars begin their medal defense against Nikola Jokic and Serbia. The game starts at 5:15 p.m. CEST (11:15 a.m. EST) at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.

The U.S. team is looking for a fifth straight gold medal. It beat Serbia 105-79 in an exhibition game earlier this month. Kevin Durant is dealing with a calf strain, but the team is hopeful he will play.

Also in basketball, South Sudan men face Puerto Rico at 11 a.m. CEST (5 a.m. EST), and Serbia women take on Puerto Rico at 9 p.m. CEST (3 p.m. EST). Serbia’s women’s team finished fourth in 2020 and took bronze in 2016.

Medal events continue in swimming

The men’s 400-meter individual medley final will start at 8:30 p.m. CEST (2:30 p.m. EST), followed by women’s 100 butterfly at 8:40 p.m. CEST (2:40 p.m. EST). Another gold medal will be awarded in the men’s 100 breaststroke, set to start at 9:44 p.m. CEST (3:44 p.m. EST).

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Originally Published: July 27, 2024 at 12:04 p.m.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Rapper Nicki Minaj said Saturday that police in the Netherlands discovered marijuana in her bags as she was preparing to leave the country for her next concert.

Minaj tweeted that she was stopped at the Amsterdam airport as she was about to board a plane for a concert in Manchester, England. Police told her they found marijuana in her bags, and it would have to be weighed, she tweeted. Cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, but it is tolerated for recreational use.

Robert Van Kapel, a spokesperson for the Netherlands military police, said a 41-year-old American woman had been arrested for exporting “soft drugs.” He did not identify the woman or elaborate on the type of drugs in question.

Minaj, who is 41 years old, tweeted that she believes police just wanted to make her late for her concert in Manchester.

“Told you, it’s to try to make me late so that they can write negative stories. Jealousy is a disease. You know the rest,” Minaj tweeted.

Her representatives didn’t immediately respond to messages Saturday.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

By SEUNG MIN KIM, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday.

It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. The administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The White House has come under criticism from both sides of the political spectrum in the U.S. over its military support for Israel’s now seven-month war against Hamas in Gaza. Some of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats have pushed him to limit transfers of offensive weapons to Israel to pressure the U.S. ally to do more to protect Palestinian civilians. Many Republicans condemn any lessening of military backing to Israel.

The package being sent includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the congressional aides said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public.

There was no immediate indication when the arms would be sent. It’s not clear if this shipment is part of the long-delayed foreign aid package that Congress passed and Biden signed last month, a tranche from existing arms sale or a new sale.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the plans to move the package.

House Republicans were planning this week to advance a bill to mandate the delivery of offensive weaponry for Israel. Following Biden’s move to put a pause on bomb shipments last week, Republicans have been swift in their condemnation, arguing it represents the abandonment of the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East.

The White House said Tuesday that Biden would veto the bill if it were to pass Congress. The bill also has practically no chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But House Democrats are somewhat divided on the issue, and roughly two dozen have signed onto a letter to the Biden administration saying they were “deeply concerned about the message” sent by pausing the bomb shipment.

One of the letter’s signers, New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, said he would likely vote for the bill, despite the White House’s opposition.

“I have a general rule of supporting pro-Israel legislation unless it includes a poison pill — like cuts to domestic policy,” he said.

In addition to the written veto threat, the White House has been in touch with various lawmakers and congressional aides about the legislation, according to an administration official.

“We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the President’s ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this week, adding that the administration plans to spend “every last cent” appropriated by Congress in the national security supplemental package that was signed into law by Biden last month.

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro contributed.

By ZEKE MILLER, JOSHUA GOODMAN, JIM MUSTIAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

The DEA’s proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect.

Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. After the public-comment period the agency would publish the final rule.

It comes after President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug. He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

The election year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters.

Schedule III drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.

Some critics argue the DEA shouldn’t change course on marijuana, saying rescheduling isn’t necessary and could lead to harmful side effects.

On the other end of the spectrum, others argue say marijuana should be dropped from the controlled-substances list completely and instead regulated like alcohol.

Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years, with 38 having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use.

That’s helped fuel fast growth in the marijuana industry, with an estimated worth of nearly $30 billion. Easing federal regulations could reduce the tax burden that can be 70% or more for businesses, according to industry groups. It could also make it easier to research marijuana, since it’s very difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.

The immediate effect of rescheduling on the nation’s criminal justice system would likely be more muted, since federal prosecutions for simple possession have been fairly rare in recent years. Biden has already pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of possessing marijuana under federal law.

___

Goodman reported from Miami, Mustian from New Orleans. AP writer Colleen Long contributed.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored 30 seconds into overtime and the Colorado Avalanche erased a three-goal deficit for a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon each had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who have won five straight. Ross Colton also scored and Alexandar Georgiev made 18 saves.

“Best win of the year for sure. We’re really happy with our game,” said MacKinnon, who leads the NHL in scoring with 115 points. “Tough start but it was just kind of a weird start, a couple breaks. But we didn’t quit.”

Nikita Zadorov and J.T. Miller each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks, whose four-game winning streak was snapped. Ilya Mikheyev also had a goal and Casey DeSmith stopped 30 of 34 shots for Vancouver filling in for the injured Thatcher Demko.

The Avalanche started overtime up a man after Vancouver’s Carson Soucy put a puck over the glass with 8.7 seconds left in the third. MacKinnon’s blast hit Nichushkin in the visor and bounced in for the win.

“I think we lift our foot off the gas,” Zadorov said. “The teams like that, the players, their caliber — you know, Edmonton, Toronto, Colorado — when you get a 3-0 lead, you’ve got to learn how to play this lead and just don’t feed the animal. Just step on their throat and then shut it down.”

Vancouver led 3-0 early in the second period but Colorado knotted the game 3-3 midway through the third. DeSmith dove to stop Miles Wood on a wraparound, but the puck bounced out to Colton, who shovelled a shot into the goalie’s body as he lay in the net. Video review determined the goal had fully crossed the goal line.

An extended five-on-three opportunity gave Colorado a chance to claw their way back earlier in the third after Vancouver’s Ian Cole joined teammate Elias Pettersson in the penalty box.

MacKinnon was quick to take advantage, collecting a pass from Cale Makar and blasting it past DeSmith to cut the deficit to 3-2 at the 3:19 mark.

The goal extended MacKinnon’s point streak to 14 games — the longest active streak in the league.

The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with three seconds left in the second when Rantanen tipped in a shot. He has points in 11 straight games.

That goal was “kind of a head scratcher” but it sparked Colorado, said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.

“MacKinnon and them started to fly, and we just couldn’t get anybody to grab hold of a puck, whether it’s on a forecheck or a breakout, just to kind of slow things down,” he said. “We were a little hot potato and we were kind of soft on the puck, mostly in the third. Hate to say but it’s a learning lesson.”

The Canucks jumped to a two-goal lead on their first two shots. Miller opened the scoring just 24 seconds in to the game, tipping in a shot from the slot for his 33rd goal of the season.

Two minutes and 20 seconds later, the center sent a pass to Mikheyev as he drove the net hard and the Russian winger deflected it in.

UP NEXT

Avalanche: At Edmonton on Saturday in the third game of a four-game trip.

Canucks: Host Washington on Saturday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

By SAMY MAGDY, TIA GOLDENBERG and WAFAA SHURAFA (Associated Press)

CAIRO (AP) — Three days of negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages ended Tuesday without a breakthrough, Egyptian officials said, less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the informal deadline for a deal.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release up to 40 hostages in return for a monthlong cease-fire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and an influx of aid to address the humanitarian catastrophe in the isolated territory.

Two Egyptian officials said the latest round of discussions had ended. They said Hamas presented a proposal that mediators would discuss with Israel in the coming days.

Hamas has refused to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds, and the remains of around 30 more, unless Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from the territory and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants serving life sentences.

Jihad Taha, a Hamas spokesperson, said the negotiations were ongoing but “the ball is in the Israeli court.” He said Israel had thus far refused Hamas’ demands for people who fled northern Gaza to be allowed to return and for guarantees of a cease-fire and full withdrawal.

“Hamas is open to proposals and initiatives that are consistent with its position calling for a cease-fire, withdrawal, the return of the displaced, the entry of relief convoys and reconstruction,” Taha said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected Hamas’ demands and repeatedly vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and all the hostages are returned. Israel did not send a delegation to the latest round of talks.

An Israeli official said Israel was still waiting for Hamas to hand over a list of hostages who are alive as well the hostage-to-prisoner ratio it seeks in any release deal. It was not clear if that information was included in the latest proposal.

The Israeli and Egyptian officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media on the negotiations.

Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu’s War Cabinet and his main political rival, met with senior U.S. officials in Washington on a visit that drew a rebuke from the prime minister, the latest sign of a growing rift within Israel’s leadership.

Mediators had hoped to broker an agreement ahead of Ramadan, the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that often sees heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions linked to access to a major holy site in Jerusalem. The month is expected to begin around March 10, depending on the sighting of the moon.

“The negotiations are sensitive. I can’t say there is optimism or pessimism, but we haven’t yet reached a point at which we can achieve a cease-fire,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Monday.

The war began with a Hamas attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. More than 100 of them were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

The attack sparked an Israeli invasion of the enclave of 2.3 million people that Gaza’s Health Ministry says has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians. Aid groups say the fighting has displaced most of the territory’s population and pushed a quarter of the population to the brink of famine.

The U.N. children’s agency said Monday that at least 10 children have reportedly died in isolated northern Gaza because of dehydration and malnutrition.

“There are likely more children fighting for their lives somewhere in one of Gaza’s few remaining hospitals, and likely even more children in the north unable to obtain care at all,” Adele Khodr, the UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.

“These tragic and horrific deaths are man-made, predictable and entirely preventable,” she added.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday that 15 children have starved to death at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and another six were at risk of dying from malnutrition and dehydration. It was not clear if the children had underlying medical conditions that increased their vulnerability.

Northern Gaza, the first target of Israel’s offensive, has suffered mass devastation. The World Food Program recently suspended aid shipments to the north, citing the breakdown of security. An attempt by the Israeli military to bring in aid ended in tragedy last week when over 100 Palestinians were fatally shot by Israeli forces or trampled to death in a melee.

Up to 300,000 Palestinians are believed to remain in northern Gaza after Israel ordered the evacuation of the entire region, including Gaza City, in October. Many have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive. The U.N. says one in six children under 2 in the north suffer from acute malnutrition.

The United States and other countries have carried out air drops in recent days, but aid groups say the expensive, last-ditch measure is not enough to address the soaring needs.

Israel is still carrying out strikes in all parts of Gaza and has threatened to expand its ground offensive to the southernmost city of Rafah, where around half of Gaza’s population has sought refuge. Gantz has said the Rafah operation could begin as soon as Ramadan if there is no deal on the hostages.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said 97 people had been killed over the last 24 hours. bringing the overall Palestinian death toll to 30,631. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of the total casualties.

Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames the high toll on Hamas because the militants operate in dense, residential areas. But the army rarely accounts for individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

___

Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Shurafa from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.

___

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Setting financial boundaries isn’t a new concept, but there’s a new name for it. “Loud budgeting” is a viral money trend that’s encouraging people to be more open about their finances.

TikTok content creator Lukas Battle is credited with popularizing the term. In one cheeky video, Battle gives an example of loud budgeting: Saying “Sorry, can’t go out to dinner, I’ve got $7 a day to live on.”

And while Battle’s example might be funny, practicing financial transparency is resonating with many people who are feeling financial strain.

What is loud budgeting?

This approach is about looping others into your financial goals and combating money shame.

“This means making better spending decisions that support your goals, and being honest with friends and family about why you are opting out of gatherings that require you to spend, such as going out to dinner or going away for a weekend trip,” Andrea Woroch said in an email. Woroch is a personal finance writer and consumer savings expert who has appeared on “Good Morning America” and other TV news shows.

It’s also about aligning how you spend your money with the goals you want to achieve, which can be empowering.

You can say, “I don’t value this enough to spend money on this because I’m saving money for a down payment, or … I’d rather not spend money on this because I’m saving for a vacation,” Giovanna “Gigi” Gonzalez says. “It gives you the power back, and it shows that you have clarity on your financial goals.” Gonzalez is the author of the personal finance book “Cultura & Cash” and a TikTok content creator.

Loud budgeting can help you save more, find support

Strengthening your boundary-setting and communication skills, and holding yourself accountable, can help you save more money to put toward your goals.

“Having money goals is something to be proud of and something that you should really communicate to your friends and family, so they know where you stand financially, because when you don’t, people just assume that the money you have is a free-for-all,” Gonzalez said.

Being transparent about money may also open up support. “Speaking openly about your finances leads to more candid conversations about money with others who may have gone through a similar struggle, and [who] can offer advice or tips on how they improved their own financial situation,” Woroch said.

How to make this a habit, not a passing trend

Some ways to build loud budgeting into a regular habit include:

1. Address your feelings about money

The emotions you have tied to money can affect your financial wellness, and how you feel about money can be shaped by your cultural background and other factors, like generational trauma.

For example, Gonzalez says, “I think because in my culture, the Latino culture, it’s very much expected that you just provide money … it’s very much seen as an obligation that you have to your elders, for the sacrifices that they put in so that you’re able to now have a better life.” And familial expectations about money can cause conflict and strain your finances.

Addressing your feelings about money with a professional like a financial therapist can improve your ability to set money boundaries and communicate them.

2. Get an accountability partner

Share your financial goals with someone you trust and who will help to hold you accountable.

“Is there someone else you know who recently proclaimed their loud budgeting efforts on social media or in your circle of friends?” Woroch said. “Reach out to share your goals and support each other by holding each other accountable with monthly check-ins or texts when you’re feeling like spending.”

3. Set clear goals

Think about the kind of life you want to live and set money goals accordingly.

When Gonzalez wanted to travel the world, she bought a map and put it where she could see it every day. “But for somebody else, maybe their big dream is to buy their own home,” she says. “So I tell people to keep the motivation and momentum going … make your lock screen [a picture of] your dream home.”

Keep your money goals front and center as you navigate the short-term discomfort that might come with having to say “no” to things that don’t align with them.

4. Show up in other ways

You can make loud budgeting a habit and still show up for the people you care about.

Gonzalez suggests finding alternative ways to offer your support. “I’ve had a friend ask me to [co-sign] for his car, and I told him, ‘I love you but that’s a big commitment and I don’t feel comfortable,’” she said. “And I explained to him the reasons why: ‘If you were to default on this, It falls on me or my credit’.” She offered to help her friend research more affordable car options instead.

Supporting your loved ones in nonmonetary ways might also look like cooking or cleaning for them, babysitting or helping in their job search.

The article 4 Ways to Turn the ‘Loud Budgeting’ Trend Into a Habit originally appeared on NerdWallet.