一 | BILLINGS, Mont. -- A Montana man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for making repeated threatening and racist phone calls to a Billings church for two years after he went there seeking help and received a gift card from a Black employee, prosecutors said.Joshua Leon Hiestand, 41, was sentenced Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana. Hiestand pleaded guilty in June to making harassing telephone calls. A stalking charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.“When Hiestand, a white man, went to a Billings church looking for help, an elderly African American woman who worked there responded with kindness and assistance," U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a statement. "In return and for nearly two years, Hiestand launched a barrage of harassing, hateful and racist calls and voicemails at her and the church. His racist conduct isn't just abhorrent, it is illegal.”Prosecutors alleged Hiestand went to the Presbyterian church in November 2020 seeking help. Five days later, the church received a voicemail in which someone, using a racially derogatory term, said he would give more money to the church if the church did not employ an African American. After three similar calls, the woman called Billings police.A detective called the number used to leave the messages and spoke to Hiestand, who admitted making the calls and apologized for his behavior, prosecutors said. He was told to have no further contact with the church. Three days later, he left a voicemail with the church in which he apologized, court records said.However, over the next 19 months Hiestand called and left a series of voicemails at the church that were at times threatening and racially hostile, prosecutors said. Investigators determined that after January 2021, Hiestand was placing the calls from outside the state of Montana.Hiestand was arrested in November 2022 in Indiana and has remained in custody since then.Hiestand’s public defender Gillian Gosch asked for a sentence of time served, arguing her client's actions were affected by his mental health issues, which have resulted in psychiatric hospitalizations and which appear to be worsened by his use of illegal substances.The Bureau of Prisons will decide whether Hiestand will receive credit for the 11 months he has already been in custody, officials said.Hiestand remained in custody in the Yellowstone County jail on Monday.。 中新社上海8月25日电 (记者 姜煜)普华永道25日在上海举办发布会，正式发布《中国企业并购市场2026年中回顾及展望》报告。该报告称，在多重利好驱动下，2026年上半年中国并购市场交易宗数与交易规模双双跃升至近三年高位。
二 | 报告称，2026年上半年，中国并购市场交易宗数达7316宗，同比增幅近30%，创历史新高；交易总规模2416亿美元，同比激增56%，为2023年以来半年度最佳表现。 上半年中国并购市场的强劲复苏主要由财务投资者主导，其交易宗数和规模同比涨幅分别接近50%和85%。与此同时，战略投资者交易宗数虽然微跌7%，交易额却上涨近40%。
三 | 超大型交易(单宗交易金额超10亿美元)累计达27宗，与去年同期持平，其中境内战略投资类交易14宗，超半数由中国国有资本主导推进。资金流向呈现明显的科创聚焦特征，高科技领域的超大型交易共10宗，主要集中在人工智能、存储、半导体等硬科技赛道。 2026年上半年，中国内地企业海外并购呈现显著的“量跌价升”特征，交易宗数低于去年同期，但平均交易规模明显抬升。
四 | 上半年海外并购总额达202亿美元，累计完成92宗交易；其中超大型交易录得4宗，较去年同期的3宗有所回升。 展望2026年下半年，普华永道亚太区国际税务主管合伙人庄树清表示，综合来看，下半年中国并购市场有望延续活跃态势，今年全年的市场规模预计较2025年增长。
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